Spark
by StormDragonSlayer
Summary: Life's tough when you have powers. Especially when people hate you for being different. For Natsu and the Dragons, life just gets worse when Fairy Hunters begin ruthlessly hunting them down. What will happen when past collides with present, when truth collides with lies? A wildfire is struck by a single spark. NatsuxErza. Powers AU. Wildfire Trilogy, Book One. Hope you guys enjoy!
1. Anomaly

**Hey, guys! Storm here, and I've got a new story for you guys! Hopefully, since this idea has been bouncing around my head for a while, writing it down will free up my head to think of some ideas for my other stories (like ODaK), but here's the de facto prologue for Spark. Hopefully, this turns into a three part series, but we'll see where this goes. Storm Out!**

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Sweet Jesus, did he hate this city. 

Natsu "Salamander" Dragneel stood perched on the edge of a communications tower overlooking the slums outside the city of Crocus, studiously attempting to ignore the stench of filth and squalor wafting up from the streets below. The people often couldn't afford enough food to last a day, or enough blankets to sleep comfortably at night, but they still clung to the ideas that the Absolution regime put forth. They attended Absolution schools and events, watched Absolution television, and read Absolution-mandated materials. It was worse if you were an Anomaly, like him, because you were the one who could fight back, you were powerful. 

You were the enemy. 

" _Sound off."_

The deep voice rang through his earpiece, causing him to wince. The voice belonged to his squad leader, Thor, and judging by the tone, he hadn't found what they were looking for. Natsu listened as he continued to scan the streets of the slums. 

" _Iceman. Nothing yet."  
_ " _Black Steel. I ain't seen nothing."  
_ _"Beast. I haven't seen anything."_

Natsu put his fingers to his earpiece. "Salamander here. Nothing to…" He trailed off as a flash of movement caught his eyes. He flipped down the goggles that sat just below his shock of pink hair. "MAVIS, give me night-vision." The AI in his ear chirped, and the goggles instantly switch to a green tinted view. Peering back down, and ignoring the increasingly tense calls of his name over the radio, he spotted the flash of movement that had originally tipped him off. A small girl peered out from behind a trash can, and then darted out across the street, headed towards an old warehouse. Natsu's eyes lit up. "Shut it, I've got something." He said, effectively cutting off Thor's shouts. _"Does that something match the description of the target?"_ Thor questioned, sounding tense. "Yes, it does." Natsu said, standing up. He leaped off of the tower, flipping and landing catlike on a roof below, and shadowed the girl, making sure to stay out of sight. He stopped on a roof outside of the warehouse. Suddenly, his earpiece crackled back to life. 

" _Black Steel here. Something…interesting just went down in the city center."_ Natsu looked towards the high rise buildings visible on the horizon. Only the rich and the powerful lived in the center of Crocus, where luxury was a normality. Ordinarily, they would never approach it, but they had been in Crocus for a while now, and with no results, Thor was getting desperate. " _Interesting?"_ Thor asked, an edge to his voice. " _Explain." "A couple of soldiers just turned a car into a cheese grater. Driver and passenger look to be dead, but I can't identify from here. Should I engage?"_ There was a barely-concealed edge of excitement to his voice as he asked his question. Natsu shook his head. Black Steel was a brawler, plain and simple. He loved going into a fight, and the disappointment was almost palpable when Thor responded. _"Negative, Black Steel. Move to back up Salamander, and we'll bring the Fairy Tail around and pick you guys up."_ Black Steel grumbled out a response. Natsu grinned, then flattened himself to the roof he was perched on as a low buzzing hum filled his ear. Hissing out the words, "radio silence,"he watched as a black, ironclad dropship flew over his head, stopping and hovering over the roof of the warehouse that the girl was hiding in. Ignoring Thor's repeated calls of his name, he watched as eight Absolution soldiers dropped down onto the roof and crouched, pulling out the Absolution-issued H-38 assault rifles and crouching next to the roof access door as the dropship flew off. Pressing his finger to his earpiece, he hissed out a warning. "Eight Absolution goons just dropped on the roof, carrying H-38s and they're about to storm the building. Black Steel, if you don't get here quick, we're probably going to lose her. Silence greeted his message, then Thor's grim tone sounded out. _"Do everything you can to make sure that doesn't happen, Salamander. Black Steel, where are you?" "I'm still about two minutes out. I'm going as quick as I can."_ Natsu nodded at Black Steel's response, his hand moving to the katana that was strapped to his left hip. 

A muffled crunch rang out as the lock on the roof access door broke, and six of the soldiers advanced down the stairs, while two of them stayed behind, their rifles trained on the fire escape that was opposite them. With a growl of "Engaging," he leaped onto the roof of the warehouse, landing catlike and silent on the concrete roof. Racing towards the two guards, he drew his katana and hilt slammed the first one he reached, causing him to double over and drop his weapon. His partner attempted to level his weapon at Natsu, but Natsu caught his arm with a slash and knocked the weapon out of his hand, sweeping the blade up to his throat and causing him to freeze. He was just about to knock him out when a voice rang out behind him. "Drop your weapon. Now." Natsu cursed himself for not taking the other guard out of the equation. "I said drop it, Anomaly!" Natsu kept his blade where it was, slowly reaching for the pistol that sat on his right hip. "I'm not going to ask again!" The soldier said, jabbing his gun into Natsu's back. "Drop your weapon or-ACK!" The soldier cut off with a surprised grunt, before falling sideways. Natsu whipped his katana around and hilt slammed his soldier in the throat before he could react, causing him to grab at his crushed windpipe and struggle for air. Falling to one knee, the soldier collapsed from lack of oxygen, as Natsu turned to be met with Black Steel, his iron scales fading from his skin. "Good entrance, Gajeel." Natsu said, making his way over to the roof access and looking back. "Watch your six, Salamander." Gajeel responded, his scales reforming on his arms. "I'm assuming that the target is inside?" "Yep, along with six goons." Natsu replied, readying his katana, which began to glow white-hot. "Try not to screw this one up, Natsu." Gajeel cracked, a smirk on his face as he drew his sidearm. Natsu glared at him, before rushing down the stairs. Hearing muffled shouts from the rear of the warehouse, they sprinted towards the sound, to see the six Absolution soldiers gathered around a stack of boxes. The leader stepped forward. "Anomaly, face us for the crimes against Absolution you have committed." Natsu grinned. "Sure!" Gajeel said, causing all six to whip around and face them. Gajeel leaped in front of Natsu, hardening his skin as the bullets from the six H-38s ricocheted harmlessly off of his iron scales. When the clips ran out, Gajeel crouched, allowing Natsu to vault off of his back and land, crouched, behind the leader, who went down yelling as Natsu slashed at the back of his legs, and subsequently at his chest, effectively silencing him. Moving on to the two nearest him, Natsu finished them off with ease, and glanced at Gajeel just in time to see him duck a rifle butt and catch the last soldier in the jaw with an iron fist, sending him crashing into a stack of boxes. "Slowpoke." Natsu said, a smirk on his face. Gajeel frowned, then turned towards the stack of boxes. "Hey, little girl? You can come out now, the soldiers are gone." At first, there was silence, and the two men looked at each other worriedly, but then soft sobs reached their ears from behind the boxes. Natsu moved slowly around them, finding the little girl who he had spotted earlier crouched behind the boxes, sniffling. "Hey there." He said kindly, and the girl started and tried to back away from him. "Stay away!" she yelled, putting up her fists. "Easy there." Natsu said, putting his hands up in surrender. Not that the girl could have done anything. Instead, he slowly walked towards her. "Stay back! I don't want anyone to get hurt!" She said again. Natsu smiled kindly. "I won't get hurt. In fact, we're here to help you." "How can you help me?" She asked, scared, but Natsu was pleased to see that she lowered her hands. He crouched down in front of her, smile still in place. "Because we're like you." He said, summoning a ball of fire that sat in the palm of his hand. The fire danced cheerily as the girl stared in wonder. "What's your name?" Natsu said, putting out the fire and standing up, offering a hand to the young girl. The girl took his hand, smiling shyly. "Wendy. What's yours?" "My name's Natsu, and this is my partner, Gajeel." Gajeel nodded to them, his hand on his earpiece. Nodding, he walked over to them. "Laxus is about two minutes out, and then we're heading back to Tenrou." He crouched in front of Wendy. "We're going to take you somewhere safe, and we're going to teach you to use your powers. Okay?" Wendy nodded. "What can you do?" Natsu asked. Wendy looked down shyly, before extending her arms. A brisk wind began to blow through the warehouse, and Natsu's and Gajeel's eyes widened. "That is awesome." Natsu said, wincing as his earpiece crackled to life. " _We're on the roof."_ The voice of Laxus said. " _Get up here so we can get out of here."_ "Roger that." Natsu replied, before kneeling in front of Wendy. "Alright, Wendy, we've got to go up to the roof. Are you sure you want to come with us?" Wendy nodded excitedly, and they made their way over to the stairs that led to the roof. 

When they reached the roof, Laxus was there waiting, and behind him was a large _Reaper-_ class dropship that they named the Mage. Laxus spotted them, and walked over towards them, smiling. "We've got to leave soon. Mystogan is running interference, but he can only distract the Fairy Hunters for so long. So, everybody on board, and we'll head towards Tenrou." Natsu and Gajeel nodded, and Laxus crouched in front of Wendy. "We're going to take you to your new home now, okay? Someplace safe." Wendy nodded, and they climbed aboard. Laxus headed towards the cockpit. "Grey, Elfman, get us out of here." The ship lifted, flying low over the rooftops of the slums to stay under the radar. As they cleared the city limits, Laxus turned to Wendy, who was nervously eyeing the inside of the ship. "Are you okay?" He asked the girl, who jumped and stared at Laxus. "Do you need anything? Something to eat or drink?" When she nodded, Laxus stood and made his way to the back of the ship, coming back a minute later with a sandwich and a bottle of water. He handed them to Wendy, who tore the wrapper off and practically inhaled the first half of the sandwich, before catching herself and looking around, embarrassed. The others just laughed. "You'll fit right in, kid." Gajeel said, ruffling her hair, as they heard Elfman's muffled voice from the cockpit shouting, "She eats like a real man!" Laxus stood up and made his way to the front of the ship, stopping at the doorway to the cockpit. "Wendy, I'd like to take the time to introduce the team." He indicated the small group sitting in the ship. "We are Strike Force A, of the Anomaly group known as Fairy Tail, more commonly known as the Dragons. I'm the leader, Laxus, and my codename is Thor. The two in the cockpit are Beast, or Elfman, and Iceman, or Gray." Gajeel cleared his throat. "My name is Gajeel, but when we're out here, I go by Black Steel. Nice to meet you." Lastly, Natsu spoke up. "I'm Natsu, but my codename is Salamander." Laxus nodded. Wendy stood up and curtsied. "I'm Wendy. It's so nice to meet other people like me." They all grinned. "Welcome to the family, Wendy."

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"Are you KIDDING me?!" Erza slammed her palm down on the table. "They were here?! In Crocus?!" The soldier cowered, his head bowed as he knelt on the floor in front of her. "It would appear so, ma'am. Out in the slums. When a squadron cornered a fugitive in a warehouse, two of them took out the squad and rescued the Anomaly, and then they disappeared." Erza stood, cold and calculating. "And why was I not informed about this?" She asked, the calm tone of her voice masking the sheer fury she was feeling. "My apologies, Knightwalker, but you were in a meeting with your brother. By the time that you finished, the Anomalies had disappeared." Erza sat back in the cold metal chair. "Thank you for informing me of this. You are dismissed." The soldier stood, bowed to her, and left, leaving her seething. They had been in the city. Within her reach, and they slipped in and out before she was able to notice. She bowed her head as flashbacks took over her mind. Summers spent with a boy, nights spent staring at stars.

Flashes of pink hair.

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 **And there you have it! Chapter one of the Wildfire Trilogy, Book One: Spark! Let me know what you guys think, and I'll see you later. May the wind be always at your back and fill your wings!**


	2. Flashbacks

**Alright, hey guys! Storm here, with Chapter Two of Spark. Thank you guys for the follows, the favorites, and to these people:**

 **dramabug15, DdraigTrueEmperor9, rrm232, and WolfGaming.**

 **Thank you guys so msuch for the reviews. Adn, since the question did come up, this is a NatsuxErza Scarlet fic I am merely using Knightwalker as a title for Erza while she is with Absolution.**

 **Thank you guys so much, And I'll catch ya later! Storm OUT!**

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Erza Scarlet was not a woman to be trifled with. 

As she stalked through the halls of the Absolution Building in downtown Crocus, the random dignitaries and personnel moved aside to let her pass. She was looking for someone specific after the news of the Anomalies' successful escape, and her target was still in his office. As she rounded the corner, a door to her left opened, and out stepped a woman with long hair, white as snow. "Oh, Captain Scarlet!" the woman exclaimed, snapping into a salute. "I didn't know you were still here, ma'am!" "At ease, Lieutenant Strauss." Erza said, turning to her subordinate. The woman relaxed, before handing Erza an envelope. "Those recently came down from Commander Hades." "What are they?" She asked, taking the envelope. "Orders for our next mission. The commander thinks that the Dragons are still in the area, and will attempt to attack the fuel depot in Magnolia in the next few weeks. We are to be posted there, to wait for them to attack. Then, we do what we do best. Eliminate the enemy." The lieutenant took a step back, but Erza didn't miss the sad tone in her voice. Her subordinate hated violence, and hated killing, an odd trait for an officer in Absolution. But just because she didn't like it, didn't mean she wasn't good at it. Erza nodded, before continuing down the hallway. "I'll meet you at the barracks for briefing later." She said, and the lieutenant nodded. "I need to have a little chat with someone first." 

"You knew, didn't you?! You KNEW that they were here in Crocus, didn't you, brother?!" Erza slammed her fists down on the table in front of her, glaring daggers at the man in front of her, who scoffed. "Of course I didn't, Erza." He replied. "I'm not omnipotent. If I had known that they were in the city, you would have been notified immediately. Unfortunately, I didn't. And you would do well to remember your place, sister. Do I need to remind you that while we are here, I am your superior?" Erza glared at the blue-haired man in front of her. "Of course not, Jellal. I merely wanted to confirm or refute a suspicion. Thank you for your time, Colonel." Turning, she made her way towards the door, but was stopped by a voice from behind her. "Erza?" She turned. "Yes, Jellal?" The blue-haired man sighed. "The time may come soon enough when you have to confront your past. Be careful who you trust." Erza shook her head. "As usual, brother, you are speaking nonsense." Turning, she left, leaving Jellal shaking his head. Reaching under his desk, he pulled out an earpiece radio and pushed the button. "Tenrou, can you read me?" 

"So, let me get this straight." A blue haired woman questioned Erza as they sat around a table in the barracks. "We go to Magnolia, prevent the fuel being stolen, and at the same time attempt to take out the Dragons. Did I get that right?" Erza nodded. "So now we're just some fucking security detail to them?!" A brunette said, slamming the mug of alcohol that she held on the table. "No." Erza responded by looking each of her subordinates in the eyes in turn. "Cana, Juvia, Mira, and Kagura. The main objective of this mission is to eliminate the Dragons. Us being at the fuel depot is merely a plan made by Commander Hades, since that's where he believes that they will strike next. So we will be ready at 0600 hours tomorrow. Go home and get some rest, Hunters. Tomorrow, we ship out for Magnolia."

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Erza lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of her apartment blankly. Tomorrow, she was leaving for Magnolia, and hopefully getting a chance at taking down his killers. Rolling over, she glanced at the jewelry box that sat on the bedside table, the black velvet cube that, at one point, had carried her future. She sighed and rolled back over as the memories overtook her. 

" _Hey, come on, hurry up!" The young man exclaimed, pulling on Erza's hand as they made their way through the city. Laughing, Erza sped up, falling into step with her boyfriend of two years. They made their way down to the canal that ran through the center of the city, walking along the bank as the stars began to pop out in the sky above their heads. As they reached a small park on the bank, the young man stopped. He glanced at Erza, nervousness in his posture as he led her to a large oak tree that grew along the bank. They sat together for a while, gazing at the stars, before he turned to Erza. "Hey, Erza?" He asked. "Yeah?" She replied, looking at him. He took a deep breath, and began. "Two years ago, I met this girl. Fiery, take-no-bullshit, and beautiful. I fell for her after about a month, and asked her out on a date. To my surprise, she said yes." He swallowed, and Erza could see that he was nervous. "Two years later, and I'm sitting next to that same girl, after two years of fucking amazingness. That is why I have a question to ask you." Erza put a hand over her mouth as he got down on one knee, sliding a black velvet box out of the pocket of his khakis. "Erza Scarlet, I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?" Tears of joy fell down Erza's cheeks as she embraced her boyfriend. "Of course, Natsu! YES!"_

 _Two months later, she was in a church, in a dress, waiting for a priest to speak. Tears fell from her cheeks as she glanced at the closed casket in front of her. Her fiancé was dead. Natsu had reportedly gone for a trip to get something for her, and never came back. The rebel group known as Fairy Tail were blamed for the death, and in particular the attack group known as the Dragons. So, instead of celebrating the happiest day of her life, she was mourning the loss of the most important person to her. Tears poured down her face as she sobbed into her brother Jellal's shoulder._

Erza shook her head to clear it of the flashback. She needed to focus. Rolling over, her eyes fell on the digital clock, displaying the date. Her eyes closed in grief. _Five days until that date._ June Seventh. The day that her beloved's life ended.

* * *

"All Dragons, report to the briefing room. Repeat, all Dragons report to the briefing room." Natsu looked up from the punching bag he was currently mashing. Grabbing his shirt, he made his way out of the training room and made his way towards the briefing room, stopping off at his cabin to grab something to eat. Entering the room, he made his way towards the others, who were currently huddled around a map. "Sheesh, took ya long enough, Flame Brain." Gray growled, glancing up at Natsu. "You wanna go, Ice Princess?" Natsu challenged, folding his arms across his chest. Laxus glanced up at them. "Enough, you two! We have an assignment." Natsu and Gray shared one more glare, before looking down at the map. "So, what's the gig, boss?" Gajeel said, looking at Laxus. The others followed suit. "We need to grab fuel for the dropships." Laxus began. "Makarov wants us to hit the depot in Magnolia to grab some. It's fully stocked, so we should be able to grab a lot. We'll go in full gear, grab the fuel, and get the hell out of Dodge before the Fairy Hunters can even get word we're on their turf. We ship out in five days." Gajeel nodded, sitting back in his chair. Natsu sat back as well, but his mind stayed preoccupied. Five days would put it at that date. The date that he left his old life behind. 

The day that he lost the most precious thing he had.

 **There ya go! Hope you guys enjoyed, follow, favorite, or review if you did, and I'll catch ya next time. May the wind always be at your back and fill your wings!**


	3. Fateful Day

**Holy Crow, two chapters in two days! Hey, guys, Storm here! I have chapter three of Spark here. I don't know what happened, this chapter literally seemed to just write itself, so I have it for you guys to read! Thanks to DdraigTrueEmperor9 and WolfGaming for the reviews. Seriously, you guys are amazing. Also, shout out to my beta reader, dramabug15. Seriously, Ash, you're amazing! Here you guys go! Storm Out!**

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 _June 6_ _th_ _, 2037_

Natsu couldn't sleep.

He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, but every time he was on the cusp of sleep, his brain would conjure up three-year-old memories of happier times, before his life was thrown askew, before Absolution hunted him and his family, before he met his new family.

Before he manifested.

Memories of scarlet and silver, of play fights and kisses, of nights spent stargazing and days spent starry eyed. He threw a hand over his eyes, practically begging his brain to shut the fuck up so that he could get some sleep, but it just wasn't happening. The combination of old memories and self-hatred poured over him, until he just couldn't lay still anymore. Leaping to his feet, he threw on a pair of shorts and grabbed his katana, and walked out of his apartment, heading for the training center. Once there, he walked past the usual training gear, the weights and punching bags and treadmills, and headed straight for the "Death Room." Closing the door, he sighed. "Death Room, activate. Threat level, five." He unsheathed his katana as eight Absolution soldiers materialized, assault rifles on their shoulders. "Program, start!" Natsu dropped into a crouch, dashing towards the first soldier to his left and slashing through his stomach, taking him down. Darting to his right to avoid the hail of bullets, he caught the next soldier with a slash to the chest, and sent a blast of fire at the next one, catching him in the head and roasting him. He grunted as he caught a bullet to the chest, and darted towards the soldier, catching him with a flaming fist to the chest and sending him flying. Slashing his katana at the air, he sent an arc of fire at two soldiers standing together, burning them in their uniforms. Sprinting at the last one, he leaped into a somersault to avoid the burst of gunfire and slashed the goon across the chest. Breathing heavily, he took a look around at the eight immobilized soldiers, sheathing his katana. "Death Room, deactivate." The AI chirped, and the room's lights turned on. Natsu slumped against the wall, trying to catch his breath. He glanced up as the door opened. "You know, you might want to get some rest, since we leave later." A voice sounded. Gray walked through the door, closing it behind him. "What are you doing here?" Natsu said, and Gray sighed. "I figured you could use some company." Gray sat down next to Natsu, leaning his head back against the cool metal wall. "What's so important about tomorrow?" Natsu looked up at Gray, startled. "Why do you ask?" He said, defensively. Gray glanced over at him. "Every year, for the three years that you've been here, on June seventh, you go off and spend a day alone, be it at the coast, in the forest, or here. Why?" Natsu sighed. "Two reasons." He said, looking up at the ceiling. "One, because it's the day that I manifested, and that I found out about you guys. Two, because before I manifested, and before you guys saved my life, I was one of the happiest men on Earth. Sure, I struggled for money-" Gray scoffed at that, since the condition that they had found him in was borderline impoverished, "but I had just proposed to the girl of my dreams. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was at least something to be thankful for. And then, in one day, it all got torn apart by something I had no control over." Natsu hung his head as the memory of that fateful day hit him.

 _Natsu tugged at the collar of his button down shirt, the only nice shirt he really owned. He had been feeling unnaturally warm all day long, but today was his chance to get an actual well-paying job and move into a nicer neighborhood, and provide for himself and Erza. He wouldn't let being a little sick get in the way of this._

Tears began to slip through as Gray put his arm around his friend's shoulder. Sure, they fought a lot, but Gray was the one to welcome him to this new way of life, the one to show him around the island that they called home, and the one who stayed up with him when he couldn't sleep for the anxiety that coursed through his body.

 _Natsu ran through the streets of Magnolia, trying desperately to outrun the heat that tore through his being. He had gotten through the interview fine, but everything had gone wrong when he stopped to buy something for Erza at a small shop. The heat had suddenly exploded in intensity, causing him to cry out in surprise. Racing to the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked normal, showing no signs of a fever, but the heat inside him continued to build. Staring down at his palms, he almost screamed in fear as his hands caught fire. He shoved them in the sink, willing them to go out, then raced out of the shop. Now, as he dashed through the streets of Magnolia, his only thought was to protect Erza, he had to hide, at least until this went away. Finding a rundown house on the outskirts of the slums, he darted inside, sprinting to the top floor. Sitting against a wall, he opened his balled fists, jumping as his hands caught fire again. Strangely, the flames didn't burn his hands, but instead helped to ease the unbearable heat that still coursed through his body. He willed the flames to go away, and just like that, the crackling warmth that had filled the room just seconds earlier was extinguished, leaving him in eerie darkness._

Natsu fell silent, his hands dropped to the floor, and he leaned his head back, tears still streaming down his face. Gray's arm remained draped over his shoulder as he shared the grief of a life they both could never have.

" _Anomaly! Come out with your hands above your head! You are held responsible for crimes against Absolution! Come out and face judgment!" Natsu jerked awake as the voice rang out from outside his hiding place. Scrambling to his feet, he looked around for any form of escape, but the only route out was through the door, and as he peeked out of the boarded-up window, the building was surrounded. His mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of his predicament, but before he could, a small thud sounded from the roof above his head. Glancing up, he saw ice forming on the roof above him, before, with a crash, the roof broke through and a young man with black hair landed crouched in front of him, a four-and-a-half foot long staff strapped to his back. Standing up straight, he looked around, his eyes falling on Natsu, who was sitting dumbstruck by the entrance to the room. Placing his fingers on an earpiece, he spoke. "Iceman to Thor, package has been found. Requesting evac, pronto." After an apparent response came in, he looked down at Natsu, a sympathetic look on his face. "Roger." Removing his finger from the radio, he offered a hand to Natsu. "C'mon. I'll introduce myself later, but right now we need to get out of here." Natsu took the hand, pulling himself to his feet as a low hum sounded from overhead. A rope dropped through the hole in the ceiling, and the man grabbed ahold of it, before glancing at Natsu. "Are you coming? Or are you gonna sit there and let them kill you?" Steeling himself, Natsu grabbed the rope, letting it pull him into the unknown, and away from everything he cared about._

Natsu jolted as the door to the Death Room opened, revealing Laxus. "Figured I'd find you here. Get ready, we leave in thirty." Natsu nodded, getting to his feet and helping Gray to stand up. "Time for action."

* * *

Erza tapped her foot as the dropship neared the fuel depot. Being near this town brought back more memories then she cared for. She jolted out of her reverie as Mira sat down next to her. "Must be tough, being back here, huh?" she said, drawing a wry smile out of Erza. "I'll manage. Besides, if Hades' prediction is correct, I'll get my shot." Mira nodded. Erza didn't need to elaborate as to what shot she would get. Mira knew.

It was an opportunity to avenge her love.

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 **There you guys go! I know, I know, a whole lotta back story in this chapter. Coming up soon will be the first encounter between Dragons and Fairy Hunters, so be prepared! May the wind always be at your back and fill your wings!**


	4. Showdown at Magnolia

**Hey guys, Storm here! Here's chapter four of Spark! I;m trying out a longer chapter length with this one, so let me know what you guys think, and as always, I don't own anything except the idea! Hope you guys enjoy!**

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Natsu sat onboard the Mage, sharpening the blade of his katana. He always did this before a mission, as dragging the whetstone along the silver steel focused his thoughts and got his mind set for the task at hand. Across from him, Gajeel sat, tapping his foot nervously. Elfman sat towards the front, holding a small picture of his girlfriend, Evergreen, his eyes drinking in the photo like it was the last time he would see it. Gray stood with one hand grasping the overhead bar, the other hand gripping his cross necklace, his staff strapped to his back. Laxus sat at the rear of the dropship, head nodding in time to the music playing through his headphones. They all looked up as the radio crackled, and the pilot's voice sounded. " _T-minus five minutes to drop zone."_ Laxus nodded, standing. "Alright, team. Orders are as follows. We'll drop in, and Natsu and Gray will take out whatever security is there. Once that is done, Elfman and I will start loading the fuel tanks, and Gajeel, Natsu, and Gray will keep a lookout for any Absolution goons who try to ruin the party. Everyone clear?" The team nodded, and slid their helmets on as they felt the dropship slow down. The rear hatch opened, and the team dropped onto the ground, dashing clear as the dropship took to the sky again. Natsu and Gray split from the group, headed towards opposite sides of the depot, where the guard towers stood. Natsu leapt up towards the top of the guard tower, using his flames to propel himself further into the air. The guard tried to level his weapon at him, but Natsu was on him before that could happen, lashing out with a side kick that carried the guard into the wall of the tower, unconscious. Glancing over at the other tower, he saw Gray dodge a punch from his guard before knocking him out with an uppercut to the jaw. Leaping off the tower, Natsu rolled as he landed and dashed towards the security building. Arriving, he pressed his back against the wall next to the door, smirking as Gray dashed around and took his place on the other side. "About time." Natsu jabbed, a smirk on his face. Gray growled, before taking a step back and drawing his pistol, a Sig Sauer P226. Natsu drew his own P226, and with a nod to Gray, he drew back. Gray took a deep breath, then rammed his shoulder into the door, knocking it off of its hinges. Gray dashed inside, firing at the three guards stationed there and causing them to duck for cover, allowing Natsu to enter unharmed. Neither of them noticed when one of the guards pressed a button underneath the table that they were taking cover under. In under two minutes, the security building was secured. Natsu hopped on the radio. "Salamander to Thor. All clear." Natsu grinned as he heard the reply. " _Read loud and clear, Salamander. Let's move."_ Natsu and Gray made their way towards the storage area, watching as the Mage landed on the roof, unaware of the danger looming.

Erza's eyes perked up as she saw the transmitter's light flash yellow. The depot had been attacked, just as the commander had predicted. She snatched up the radio that sat next to her and pressed the call button. "Fairy Hunters, on your feet. We've caught ourselves some Dragons."

* * *

Jellal sat at his desk, reading through some meaningless document for Absolution, when a flashing green light caught his attention. Standing, he strode to his office door and locked it, before returning to his desk and unclipping the radio from underneath it. "Mystogan here. What happened?" He tried, listening to the crackle of static for a few seconds, before a voice sounded from the other end. " _It's Racer. The Hunters are on the move. Looks like they caught the scent of something."_ Jellal paled. "Shadow them, Racer. Report to me where they go and who they end up engaging. Clear?" " _Understood. Racer out."_ The reply came back. Jellal leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath before standing up and pressing the button on the radio again. " _Mystogan to Cobra. Get the Bandit ready. Crime Sorciere is shipping out."_ He set the radio down and strode to a small door at the side of his office. Shit was about to go down, in a major way.

* * *

"Thor, you didn't request any backup, did you?" Natsu asked, eyeing the shadow that was rapidly approaching from the north. " _Of course not. Why?"_ Natsu's eyes narrowed. "Then we've got a problem. An unidentified dropship, approaching from the north." Silence fell over the comms. When Thor next spoke, it was with the deadly calm of authority. " _Dragons, prepare for combat. Protect the Mage at all costs."_

"Hunters!" Erza yelled, standing up. "You know your orders. The Dragons have attacked the fuel depot. We are to eliminate the Dragons. Prep for insertion." The Fairy Hunters stood, determination on their faces. Suddenly, a loud crack of thunder sounded right outside, and the dropship jerked to the right. "What was that?!" Cana yelled, before covering her ears as another peal of thunder sounded. Suddenly, the PA system crackled to life. " _A sudden storm popped up in between us and the fuel depot. We may have to land."_ Erza pressed the button sitting on the wall. "Do it, pilot. We'll approach on foot." _"Roger that."_ The ship began to descend, the passengers still covering their ears against the incredibly loud crashing of thunder outside. Finally, the ship was safe on the ground, and the Hunters disembarked. Erza turned and rapped on the ship's hull. The rear ramp closed, and the ship took off, staying low to avoid the storm's turbulence. Erza looked around at her team. "Let's go!"

"How much time will that buy us, Thor?" Natsu asked, MAVIS goggles over his eyes as he scanned the compound for any sign of reinforcements. " _Not much. We NEED to finish this quickly. Beast, how many tanks are left?"_ Beast's muffled reply was drowned out by Gajeel's voice. " _Look alive, Dragons. We got company."_

"Alright!" Erza said as the Hunters gathered at the entrance of the compound. "The enemy is inside. Our orders are to hunt them down and to eliminate them. Are those orders understood?" She was answered by her squad snapping to attention, saluting. Nodding, Erza led the way into the compound, stopping as they reached a crossroads. "Alright, listen up." Erza said, holding up a fist to halt her squad's progress. "Juvia and I will continue straight. Cana, you take Kagura and go right. Mira, you go left. Good hunting, team." With that, they split up, making their way deeper into the depot.

" _Any news on our guests, Black Steel?"_ Thor's voice sounded. " _They split up. Teams of two are heading south and west, and a lone attacker is making their way towards the east gate." "Roger that."_ Suddenly, Beast's voice broke through. _"All of the fuel is loaded!" "Tell them to take off and get out of here."_ Thor ordered. " _We'll radio them once we finish things here. We can't risk the Hunters following us without doing something about them. They might follow us to Tenrou."_ Natsu nodded. " _Dragons, move to intercept. Iceman and Salamander, you take the south. Beast and Black Steel take the west. I'll take the lone attacker to the east. Once we've taken care of them, we'll meet at the north gate. Godspeed, Dragons."_

Erza kept her rifle trained on the rooftops, eyes vigilant for any signs of the Dragons. An eerie silence hung over the depot, making each step that they took seem unnaturally loud. Juvia crept next to her, her sniper rifle resting against her back as she trained her pistol on the alleyways. Erza cocked her head as a slight wooshing sound reached her ears, steadily growing louder. Eyes widening, she dropped her rifle, grabbed Juvia and pushed her into a nearby alley as a fireball the size of her head struck the ground where they were just standing. Poking her head around the corner, she saw two men standing on a rooftop behind them, helmets obscuring their features. The one on the right couched down, hand extended and still wreathed in flame from the previous attack. The other stood tall, unstrapping a staff from his back. They leapt down and paced towards the two women. Erza growled and drew the sword that sat on her right hip. The flame wielder laughed, drawing his own katana, the steel glimmering in the sunshine that angled from the west. Erza raised her sword into a ready position. "Anomalies!" She shouted, and the staff user cocked his head. "Drop your weapons and surrender! You are wanted for crimes aga-" "What crimes?!" The flame wielder shouted back, cutting her off. Strangely, his voice sounded very familiar. "The only crime we've committed is surviving! Absolution persecutes us for something we can't control! So tell us, what crimes have we committed?!" Erza fumed. "How about murder?!" The man paused, his helmet hiding his expression. "Do you remember?" Erza continued, fury rising within her. "Three years ago, you killed a man on the way back from a shopping trip. His name was Natsu Dragneel."

Natsu stumbled back, causing Gray to put a hand on his shoulder and shoot him a concerned look. "Two things wrong with that statement." Gray said, turning back to their opponents. "One, we Dragons have a rule against killing. No offense, and I'm sorry if we don't live up to your furious savage stereotype. Number two, Natsu Dragneel is still alive." It was the sword-wielder's turn to take a step back. Natsu stepped forward and started to take off his helmet, ignoring Gray's warning. He looked at the two women facing them. "I'm Natsu Dragneel. I don't know who you are, but Absolution has been lying to you if they told you I was dead." Replacing his helmet, he readied his katana. "Now, let's get this show on the road."

Erza stared as the flame-wielder replaced his helmet. There's no way. There was no way that her fiancé, her Natsu was standing opposite her, an Anomaly. It had to be a nightmare. She pinched her arm, hard. Nope, definitely not a dream. "Erza?" Juvia said, her pistol leveled at the Anomalies. "Erza? What are your orders?" Erza tried to find her voice, but her state of shock at seeing the person she loved most in this shit stack of a world alive again after two years of being dead had rendered her mute. She shook her head and brought her sword back up. She still had a mission to accomplish, no matter who her opponent was. It was a good thing she did, because the moment she focused, the two men darted towards them. The staff-wielder leapt after Juvia, who backpedaled as she tried to get a clear shot, which left her to deal with her former fiancé.

Natsu dashed in, his katana slashing at her left leg, trying to put her off balance. Erza parried with her own sword, lashing out with a side kick, which Natsu dodged by flipping away. Not letting him have any space, Erza pressed forward, trying to force him back against the wall. Natsu was smart however, and dodged an overhead slash by rolling to his right and swiping his katana at her ankles, which she dodged by jumping over the low sweep. The two circled each other warily, waiting for the other to make a mistake. Erza watched Natsu, rememorizing the way his muscles moved. Natsu leapt forward, taking a slash at her chest, which she parried and countered with a stab towards his stomach. Natsu twisted to the left to avoid it, bringing him inside of her reach and slamming an elbow into her ribs. Erza stumbled back a few paces, gasping for air and trying to gain space, but Natsu pressed the advantage, staying close and forcing her back step by step. Erza gasped as she felt her back hit the wall behind her. She ducked Natsu's horizontal slash, rolling past him in much the same maneuver that he had used earlier. Catching their breath, Natsu and Erza circled each other warily. "I don't know who you are," Natsu began, "and I don't know how you know my name, but you threatened my family, and that is something I cannot forgive." With that, he leapt towards her, intent on ending the fight quickly.

Laxus stalked through the depot, intent on finding his prey. The intruder was threatening the success of his mission and the safety of his team. That was something that he would not take lightly. As he crept through the compound, his ears perked up at the slight scuffing of combat boots on concrete. Turning, he saw a helmeted Hunter dashing towards him, a knife in hand and an H-38 assault rifle strapped to their back. Drawing his own knife, he parried the first strike and retaliated with a vicious kick as the Hunter dashed passed him, which they narrowly avoided. Pivoting, the Hunter raced towards him again, staying low. Laxus slashed downward with his own knife, grunting in pain as the Hunter's knife nicked his hip, and delivered a deep gash to the Hunter's arm, causing them to hiss in pain. The Hunter leapt backwards to avoid Laxus' follow up slash, creating distance. They holstered their knife and reached around their back for the rifle, but Laxus had darted forward, causing them to flip backwards to avoid his rush. Laxus continued to push the advantage, wondering why the Hunter didn't just draw their knife again and attack, since his rush had left him vulnerable. The Hunter suddenly gasped as their injured arm gave way, causing them to fall on their back. Laxus was on them in an instant, delivering a blow to the jaw that knocked the Hunter unconscious and took their helmet off, revealing a gorgeous white-haired woman. Laxus stood, breathing heavily, and made his way towards the north gate.

Gray growled as the Hunter leapt out of the way of his staff for the umpteenth time. He ducked as they fired a round from their pistol, cursing as it whistled just over his head. Panting, he dashed to the right, trying to flank, but the Hunter rotated to face him, keeping her pistol leveled at him. He ducked another shot, then planted his staff, calling on his ice and freezing their feet to the ground, causing them to trip and fall. Standing a taking a breath, he stood and turned around, taking a deep breath. He began to walk away, only to duck as a second gunshot rang out. He rolled away, coming up with a crouch with his staff held in front of him. His eyes widened as he saw the Hunter walking towards him, the only traces of his ice left was a puddle of water, which he noticed was following the Hunter. He raised a hand to his cheek as he felt a drop of water hit his cheek. Glancing upwards, he noticed rain clouds that hadn't been there just seconds ago. He slowly backed away, his mind racing. This Hunter, who was ordered to hunt down Anomalies, was Manifesting.

This was going to get interesting.

Gajeel panted as he raised his arms defensively, fending off blows from the helmeted Hunter. They continued to press forward, their sword raising sparks each time that it made contact with his iron skin. Ducking a slash at his head, he planted his hand and flipped into a kick, his iron increasing the force behind it and sending the Hunter skidding back several yards. Finally gaining some space, he risked a glance over at Beast, who was easily holding his own against the other Hunter, who was panting as they tried to dodge Beast's heavy blows, having already made the mistake of trying to block one and getting thrown into a wall due to Beast's titanic strength. Gajeel refocused on his battle as his opponent dashed in, feinting to the right and coming back with a slash to his chest, which deflected off of his iron. Smirking, he waited for her to attack again, and caught the blade, breaking it in his iron grip and countering with a fist to the chest, which the Hunter took full force, knocking the air out of her lungs and causing her to lose consciousness. Standing up and groaning, he ducked quickly as the body of the other hunter flew over him, smashing into the wall, unconscious. "Jesus, Beast." He said, tossing a sidelong glance at the massive man. "She shouldn't have challenged us." Beast replied, cracking his knuckles. "True that." Gajeel agreed, popping his neck. Together, they made their way towards the north gate.

Natsu panted as he backpedaled again, parrying a strong slash from the Hunter. He retaliated by spinning into a roundhouse kick, which the Hunter dodged, and followed that up with a slash at waist height, which nicked the Hunter in the upper thigh and drew blood. The Hunter gasped in pain, and Natsu continued to press by aiming a strike at her helmet with the hilt of his katana. The blow connected, cracking the visor of the Hunter's helmet and throwing them back a few paces. Natsu's next blow was supposed to be a simple slash at the leg, just enough to slow the Hunter down, but as he leapt forward, the Hunter tripped, and before he could alter the blow, instead of striking their leg, the blade of his katana cut a deep gash across the Hunter's chest, from shoulder to waist. As the Hunter fell, their helmet came off, loosened from the blow that Natsu had dealt just moments earlier. Natsu's eyes widened as the face of the Hunter was revealed, chocolate brown eyes wide with pain, crimson hair drawn back in a tight bun.

Erza Scarlet, his fiancé, the love of his life, fell backwards, blood spraying from the gash in her chest.

"Wait." Gray said, trying to slow the Hunter's advance. The Hunter paused, tilting their head to the side quizzically. "What did you do to my ice?" He tried, trying to think of a way to get out of the jam he was in. If he tried to fight it out, eventually he would run out of luck and catch a bullet. The Hunter considered his question, then spoke. "Juvia felt a connection to the ice, as if a great wave swept over her heart. She merely did what she felt she had to." Gray straightened, his staff still held defensively across his body. Suddenly, he shot a blast of ice at the Hunter, but it never reached its target. Halfway there, it melted into a stream of water, which swirled around the Hunter. Gray's eyes widened behind his visor as his suspicions were confirmed. The Hunter raised her pistol, taking aim at Gray's chest. "Wait." Gray repeated, dropping his staff and raising his hands. "Before you shoot me, you do realize what's going on, right?" The Hunter paused. "No." She said. Gray smirked. "You're Manifesting." The Hunter flinched, her pistol lowering slightly. "If you shoot me, and go back to Absolution, they'll put you down as a criminal." The Hunter's weapon slowly lowered. "What should I do?" She asked him, her voice quiet. Gray began walking slowly towards her. "Come with us." He said, gripping her pistol. "We'll keep you safe, and we'll teach you to use your power. You won't have to worry." Gray reached up with one hand and removed his helmet, the other hand taking her pistol from her and sliding it into the holster behind his back. Once that was done, he stepped back. "It's up to you. You can come with us, or you can go your own way." The Hunter paused, thinking for a second, before she reached up and slowly pulled off her own helmet, revealing a beautiful pale face, her shoulder length blue hair pulled back in the typical military style bun. "I want to learn more about my power." She said, and the steady rain around them seemed to slow down and stop altogether, although the clouds remained. Gray smiled. "Then follow me." Grabbing his staff from where he had dropped it, he began walking back the way they had come, Juvia close behind him.

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Jellal stood, his hand gripping the overhead rail as he stared down at a small photograph of a group of kids. He saw himself, his younger self's eyes closed with mirth as he laughed at the camera, his arm around his sister to his left and a tall boy with a turban around his head to his right. A small girl stood to Erza's left, her arms wrapped around a brown-skinned boy with blonde hair. _God damn,_ he thought, smiling sadly. _Life was simpler back then._ "Oi, boss." Jellal snapped out of memory lane as a tall guy with maroon hair walked over to him, a scar permanently closing his right eye. "Angel says we'll be arriving at the fuel depot shortly. What's the plan?" "Pick up the Dragons and head for Tenrou. The Mage is already clear and away, so we're going to play sweeper. Make sure the Dragons finish their mission in one piece." Cobra nodded. "It'll be nice to see everybody on the island again." A young man with red eyes and green and white hair said from across the ship, his fingers toying with a lock of hair that fell next to his face. Jellal nodded. Finally, he could go and see his family.

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"ERZA!" Natsu yelled as he raced to his fiancé's side, trying desperately to staunch the bleeding from the gash in her chest. His hands shook as he removed her protective vest and tried to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, but he could tell that the injury was going to need medical attention. He kept pressing, his eyes never leaving Erza's face. Erza's eyes squeezed shut in pain, her breaths fast and shallow, but as she reached out a hand and caressed the side of Natsu's face, a smile graced the corners of her mouth. Natsu grabbed the hand and kissed her fingers, his other hand keeping constant pressure on the gash. He looked up as he heard footsteps, and dropped Erza's hand to go for the pistol on his side as he saw Gray walking towards them, an unmasked Hunter behind him, but Gray shook his head, and then took off running as he realized why Natsu was crouched. "What happened?!" He asked, reaching them and kneeling on the other side of Erza. Natsu took a shuddering breath. "We were fighting, and I went for her leg, but she tripped and-oh, god no. Please, let her be okay." Gray looked from the injured Hunter to Natsu, before his mind made the connection between the person and Natsu's reaction, and his face paled. "Natsu…this isn't…this can't be…" He looked at Natsu again, and his anguished expression said it all. He pressed his fingers to his radio. "Iceman to Thor. Respond." Thor responded seconds later. " _Iceman, where are you guys? Mystogan is on his way, he's our ride out of here."_ "We're over on the south side of the complex still, plus two." Gray responded, and he heard Thor curse. " _Plus TWO?! What the fuck happened?!" "_ A Manifestation and a serious injury. Tell Mystogan to meet us by the south gate instead." _"We're already on our way to you. Be ready to move when we get there."_ "Affirmative." He said, looking at Natsu, whose expression held equal parts worry and terror. He got to his feet, and knelt down to pick up Erza. Natsu's eyes snapped to him, fear plain on his face. "We've got to move her." Gray said, indicating the gat the lay at the end of the avenue. "Our extraction point just changed to there." Natsu nodded, worry still etched into his features, as he grabbed Erza's shoulders and tenderly picked her up, trying not to jostle her and aggravate the injury. Reaching their destination, they lowered her back to the ground again, and Natsu knelt next to her, his hand entwined with hers as she reassured him. Gray glanced towards the north, and was relieved to see the rest of their squad making their way towards them. Juvia shrank back towards the wall as they approached, nervousness evident in her posture. Laxus walked up to her, a slight hitch in his stride, and extended a hand. "Since you're standing, I'm assuming you are the one who manifested. Welcome to the Anomaly side of life. I'm Laxus." "Juvia." She responded, taking the offered hand and shaking it a little timidly. Laxus glanced down at Natsu and Erza, noticing their hands and the way they were talking, and looked at Gray incredulously. "DO they know each other?" He asked, and Gray pointed to his ring finger. Laxus' eyes widened. "Son of a bitch." He cursed quietly. "You're serious?" "As a heart attack." Gray deadpanned. Laxus shook his head. "Lucky bastard." He quipped. The wooshing of pulse engines sounded overhead as the Jellal's ship flew overhead, settling on an open patch just outside. As they walked towards the ship, Gray couldn't help but think that their fight for survival had just taken a turn for the better.

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 **There ya go! Leave a follow or a favorite if you enjoyed, and let me know what you think! Last I checked, this story was at 20 favorites and 21 follows! Thank you guys so, so, SO much! May the sun always be at your back, and may the wind fill your wings!**


	5. Ripples

**Hey guys, Storm here! I have chapter 5 of Spark, and thank you guys so much for the feedback. Special thanks to DdraigTrueEmperor9 and cameron1234 for the reviews on last chapter. We're almost to 30 follows and favorites, so thank you guys so much! Talk to ya later! Storm OUT!**

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Jellal walked towards the rear of the ship to meet Laxus and his squadron, an easy smile on his face. "Hey, Sparky, how's it goin'?" Laxus smiled back, but his eyes remained tense. "Alright, Jellal. How was being undercover?" Jellal laughed. "Too easy." He looked past Laxus' shoulder at the rest of his squad, two of whom were crouched by the gate. "Did your squad grow since the last time I was around?" Laxus shook his head. "We're plus two Hunters." Jellal's eyes widened as his hand moved towards the pistol that rested on his hip, but Laxus shook his head. "Relax, spy-boy. There with us for now. One Manifestation and one hell of an injury." Jellal nodded, his mind more at ease, and he made to reenter the ship, but was stopped when Laxus' hand rested on the shoulder. Jellal turned, his eyebrow raised. "Jellal, there's something you should know about the one who got injured." Jellal fully turned as Natsu and Gray stood, gingerly carrying the wounded Hunter, whose face was screwed up in pain. Jellal's eyes widened in worry. "You know her?" Laxus asked, noticing his comrade's reaction. "That's..." "The leader of the Hunters, I know." Laxus finished, but Jellal shook his head. "That's my fucking sister!"

"What happened?" Natsu glanced up at the stern, worried face of Jellal, whose eyes were trained on the bandage on Erza's chest. Natsu swallowed. "I…" His voice trailed off as the moment replayed itself through his mind. Erza tripping, the spray of blood, her helmet slipping off. "It was an accident. I made a mistake, sir." Natsu finally answered. Jellal nodded. "You were fighting in a battle. You have nothing to apologize for, Natsu. And please, cut the _sir_ bullshit. You know me." Natsu nodded, then returned to gazing at Erza, who was under the effect of anesthetic until they got back to Tenrou. Jellal took a seat on the bench next to him, his hands clasped in his lap. "You knew." Natsu finally said, causing Jellal to glance at him. "You knew that I was alive, but you didn't tell her? You let her join the military?" Jellal hung his head. "I tried to discourage her from joining, but I couldn't tell her that you were alive without revealing that I was working with the Anomalies. I hinted that you were alive after your rescue of the Anomaly in Crocus, but she was so caught up in the fact that her prey had gotten away that she didn't listen." Natsu nodded, a wry smile on his face. "Sounds just like her. Too stubborn for her own good." He shook his head. "Well, I'm glad that she's alright." Jellal nodded. "She never forgot about you. Still lived in the same apartment before she joined. She keeps the ring on her bedside table at night." Natsu smiled. "Idiot." He sighed, looking at Erza. Jellal stood up. "I'll give you some time." He said, making his way back towards the front of the ship.

* * *

Mira groaned as she woke up, rubbing her jaw. "Why didn't that bastard kill me?" She said, looking around for her helmet, finding it a few yards away, the visor cracked beyond repair. Shaking her head, she pressed the button on her earpiece. "This is Demon, calling all Hunters. Anybody else survive?" She waited for a reply, and let out a sigh of relief when Kagura's voice sounded out over the headset. _"Tarot and I are alive, a few fractures, but nothing life threatening. What about you?"_ "Bruised and battered, but I'll walk it off. Any word from the captain or Rain?" _"Negative, but the trackers on their uniforms are still active. They're moving away, to the east, and fast!"_ Mira cursed. "The Anomalies must have taken them prisoner." " _Do you think we can catch them?"_ "No." Mira replied. "They have half a day's head start. We need to go back to headquarters and file a report, and then we NEED to tell Colonel Fernandes." " _Will do. We'll meet you at the drop ship."_ "Copy that." Mira began making her way back to the main gate. There would be hell to pay if the Dragons hurt her friends.

* * *

"Fifteen minutes to Tenrou." Richard said, flipping a switch on the dashboard. "Understood." Jellal replied, standing and making his way back towards Natsu, Erza, and the rest of the Dragons. "We've got fifteen minutes until we're on the ground." He informed the group, receiving nods in return. Glancing at Natsu, he saw a small velvet box in his hand. Smirking, he winked at Natsu, who scowled in return, and walked back towards the front, sitting in the cockpit with Richard and Solano. "It's going to be interesting when she wakes up." Solano commented, her eyes trained on the skies ahead of them. "Yep, it sure is." Jellal replied. Solano flipped on the PA switch, a mischievous smile on her face. "Good afternoon, passengers," she said in a smooth, detached tone, causing Richard and Jellal to start laughing. "We are currently making our final descent into Tenrou Island. If you would put all seat backs in the upright position, make sure your seat belts are fastened, and we thank you for flying Crime Sorciere Air. Have a wonderful day!" All three of them began cracking up, and the laughter only intensified when they heard Laxus yell from the back. "Next time, I want snacks!"

Fifteen minutes later, the Bandit made it's landing at the shipyard on Tenrou. Natsu was the first one off of the ship, carrying Erza bridal style as she was still under the effects of anesthesia. Gray, Juvia, and Laxus followed, followed by Elfman and Gajeel, and finally by Jellal and the rest of Crime Sorciere. "I'm going to take her to Porlyusica. I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?" Laxus nodded. "I'll go with them." Jellal said, taking a step in their direction. Laxus raised an eyebrow at that. "Don't you need to get a backup in position?" He asked, but Jellal shook his head. "I've already got one. She's in position already." Turning, Jellal followed Natsu towards the massive tree that towered over the island.

Natsu and Jellal strode towards the tree, heading towards a small cave that seemed carved out of the roots. Arriving, Natsu pulled on a rope that hung outside of the cave, and a minute later, a woman stepped out, shielding her eyes from the sunlight that shone on her pink hair. "Oh, it's you two." She said, acknowledging the two men who stood outside of her home. "Plus one, I see. Bring her inside, I'll check her out." She said, turning and striding into the cave. Natsu and Jellal hesitated before following her inside. "She's in a good mood today." Jellal whispered. Natsu merely nodded. The cave opened up into a roomy cavern, hollowed out of the trunk of the tree. Herbs and mushrooms grew around the edge of the room, and wood furniture dotted the large space. "Set her down there." Porlyusica said, pointing to a low wood table that sat off to one side. Natsu laid Erza tenderly on the table, then took a step back, his face set with worry. Jellal took a step forward to stand next to him, his face equally as worried. Porlyusica walked forward until she was standing next to the table. Looking at the two, she cleared her throat. "Why don't you two take a seat? She'll be alright, don't worry." The two men nodded, then strode over to the living area, Natsu taking a position on an armchair facing the old healer and her patient, while Jellal sat on a small ottoman. Porlyusica glared at them, before working Erza's vest off, her shirt coming off with it, leaving her in her bra and combat pants, then gently peeled the bandage off of the wound. The healer whistled. "She must have been injured like this for a few weeks, for her to have a scar like this." Natsu's head jerked up as his gaze shot to Porlyusica. "She's only been injured about twelve hours, ma'am." He said, drawing a glare from Porlyusica. "I know what I see, boy. This scar is weeks old, and I'd be surprised if it sticks around." Natsu got up and made his way over to the healer, his eyes widening as he beheld Erza's wound. "There…there was so much blood, though." Natsu blinked, hard, then opened his eyes, and the same sight greeted him. He sucked in a breath. "How…how is this possible?" He questioned. Where just hours before had rested a large gash from should to hip, there was now a fading pink scar, the only sign that there had been a wound in the first place. Porlyusica answered him. "She must have accelerated healing. That is one hell of a useful ability to have in our world." She began to walk away towards the kitchen area. "Take her to your apartment, boy. I don't care how her wound is progressing, she needs rest. I'll check up on her again tomorrow, but I don't want her doing anything strenuous until then, understand?" Natsu nodded, gathering up the still-sleeping Erza in his arms. "Thank you, ma'am." He said, before walking past her and out of the cave. Jellal stood as well, making his way towards the entrance, but Porlyusica stopped him. "Make sure that you take care of yourself, Jellal." Jellal nodded, then took his leave.

* * *

Mira made her way through the halls towards the colonel's office. The Hunters had just arrived back in Crocus, and the others were nursing their wounds at the barracks. Mira wanted to see the colonel as soon as possible, though, so she had made her way to headquarters and towards Jellal's office, upon entering however, she saw a beautiful woman with waist-length black hair standing behind his desk, gazing out of the window. Mira made to leave, but the woman turned around and smiled at her. "Ah! I was expecting you! Come in, come in. It's Mira, right?" Mira blinked, confused, but closed the door behind her and walked forward. "Where's the colonel?" She asked, confused. The woman sighed. "That's…a little complex." The woman said, gesturing for Mira to take a seat. Mira sat cautiously, eyeing the woman. The woman sat across the desk from her. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Ultear Milkovich. I am Jellal's lieutenant and personal aide. I have a few questions for you, Miss Strauss." Ultear crossed her hands, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers.

"How attached are you to the Absolution cause?" Mira drew back, surprised, and hesitated. Ultear, noticing, laughed. "Don't worry, lieutenant, this won't harm your military career, whatever your answer." Sighing, Mira relaxed. "When I first joined, I was very much behind Absolution's ideas for Unity, but after seeing how we treat our own citizens, and the Anomalies who have done no wrong, I'm not so sure that I want to be a part of it anymore. I'll wait until my service is up, and then leave." Ultear nodded, then stood up. "What would you say if I offered you an opportunity to change Fiore? To topple the corruption of Absolution and help make the country a better place?" Mira stared at her, shocked. "Ma'am, you're talking about treason!" She whispered, checking the door. Ultear turned around, fixing Mira with a determined glare. "Not if I'm not a part of Absolution." Ultear strode forward, locking the door, then turned back towards Mira, who stood up, shifting into a defensive stance, but the other woman just smiled at her. "Relax, soldier, I won't hurt you." She strode around the desk and pressed a button, closing the curtains on the windows and leaving them in semi-darkness. "What I'm going to tell you and show you today must never leave this room, understood?" Mira nodded. "I am an Anomaly." Mira's eyes widened, fearing for her life, but Ultear smiled at her, noticing her fear. " _Relax._ I'm not going to hurt you. Pretty much everything Absolution has been spreading about Anomalies is wrong. We don't kill at all. I don't think there's been a single death that Absolution has blamed on Anomalies that was actually committed by Anomalies. The only things we take are fuel for ships and Anomalies to rescue them from Absolution." "Then what happened to the rest of my squad?" Mira fired back, her worry for her comrades breaking through. Ultear smiled and grabbed a radio from underneath the desk, pressing the button on the earpiece. "Jellal, this is Ultear. I have Miss Strauss here with me, and she is inquiring about the status of her comrades. Could you let her know?" A few seconds passed in between, and then Mira was shocked to hear Colonel Fernandes' voice ring through the tiny speaker. _"Ah, Lieutenant Strauss. I was wondering when you three would get back. Erza and Juvia are just fine, but they will be staying with us for their own safety. I will stay on the line if you have any questions."_ Mira sat there, shocked. Why was Colonel Fernandes with the Anomalies? And what did he mean, _for their own safety?_ Ultear held the radio out to her, and after a moment of hesitation, she took the small earpiece. "Excuse me, sir, but what is going on?" Jellal sighed from the other end of the line. _"I'm a double agent. My job was to lead an Anomaly spy ring inside the Absolution government to catch word of any Anomaly sightings, to try and save as many lives as we could."_ Mira nodded, her mind racing. "Okay, what did you mean about my squad mates being with you for their own safety?" Jellal was silent for a few moments. When he began to speak again, it was as if he was choosing his words extremely carefully. _"During the fight at the fuel depot, Erza and Juvia went up against two of our fighters. Juvia took one while Erza battled the other. During the fight, Erza was badly wounded through a freak accident, and Juvia Manifested. We brought them back with us, and it looks like Erza is also an Anomaly."_ Mira froze, shocked. Two of her comrades, Anomalies? And Erza was injured, too. _"Don't worry about Erza, Mira. Her ability allows her to heal extremely quickly. She'll be alright."_ Mira sighed. "Thank you, sir." With that, she handed the radio back to Ultear, who replaced it underneath the desk. "Now, I am trying to rebuild Crime Sorciere, the information ring, and I think you and your squad would be perfect for the job. The only problem is…" Ultear trailed off, but Mira got the gist. "You aren't sure what our relationship is with Absolution." She finished for the black haired woman, who nodded. "I think that we would all be fine with that. We don't really have any connection with Absolution. Plus, doing this would be an opportunity to avenge my brother." Ultear nodded. "What happened?" She asked, sympathy in her voice. Mira sighed. "My brother Manifested five years ago and disappeared. I haven't had any contact from him since then." Ultear nodded. "If you get your squad on board, we'll need to take you to Tenrou, to introduce you." She explained. Mira smiled. "Of course!"

* * *

The first thing Erza felt when she woke up was an absence of pain in her chest. Groaning, she sat up, glancing around at the unfamiliar apartment. She moved aside the covers, standing up and stretching, noticing at the same time that she had lost her military vest and her shirt, although she was still wearing her combat pants, and she spotted her boots sitting by the door. She walked over to the window and opened the curtains, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight that angled in from the east. Sitting before her was a beautiful scene. Wherever she was, the view was incredible. A small lake stretched out in front of her window, the water a shimmering light blue. Past the lake, a massive tree towered over the land, dominating the view and providing a peaceful air to the scene. Erza stood there, admiring the beauty, then jerked away as she heard the door open.

"I figured you'd still be asleep." Natsu said, striding across the room and wrapping her in a tight embrace. "After what happened yesterday." Erza just rested her head against his broad chest, basking in the warmth of her fiancé's arms. He drew back, eyeing her. "Speaking of yesterday, when did you Manifest?" he asked, causing her to frown. "Manifest? What do you mean? I'm not…" She trailed off as Natsu pointed at the wound on her chest, or rather, what remained of it. A thin, pale pink scar was all that remained of the grievous injury that she had suffered at the fuel depot. She stood there, mouth gaping in shock. "But…but I didn't-" Natsu cut her off, placing a finger on her lips. "It doesn't matter." He said calmly, before wrapping her in another hug. "What matters is that you're safe." Tears began forming in her eyes as she returned Natsu's embrace. Natsu pulled back after a few seconds, only to place his lips over hers, his arms holding her tightly to him like she was the only thing that mattered in the world, just like it was before he disappeared. Their lips moved against each other's as their hands wandered up and down the other's torso, rememorizing their bodies by touch. Finally, they pulled apart, both gasping for air. "I've…I've got breakfast ready if you're hungry." Natsu breathed, pointing downstairs. "The doctor said to take it easy, and she's coming over later, so…" He trailed off, taking a step back towards the stairs. Smiling, Erza wrapped her hand in his, and they walked downstairs, simply enjoying being in one another's company again, happy to be reunited at last.

 **There ya go! Chapter five of Spark is up and prepped! Once again, thank you guys, the readers, for your support. I didn't think anybody would click on the story, let alone that almost thirty people would follow it. Thank you guys. May the sun always be at your back, and may the wind fill your wings.**


	6. New Beginnings

**Hey guys, Storm here! Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, but with college finals and moving back home for the summer, I haven't really had time to write. Anyways, here's chapter six of Spark. Warning: There is a slight lemon at the end of the chapter, so if you're under 18 or if that just isn't your thing, skip it!**

 **Shout out to Popine, NicholasAlexanderakaAlaskas127, and cameron1234 for the reviews on last chapter!**

 **Hope you guys enjoy, and I'll see ya later! Storm OUT!**

* * *

"What is that?" Erza said, freezing at the bottom of the stairs. Natsu looked back at her, then at the little ball of blue fur that Erza was questioning. "Oh, that's Happy." Striding over, he scratched the little ball of fur, which mewled and uncurled, batting at his hands with its tiny front paws. Erza smiled, walking up behind Natsu and wrapping her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad that you're okay." She said. Natsu turned around in her arms, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest. "I'm glad that you're here." He replied, burying his face in her scarlet hair. Erza smiled and buried her face in his chest. After a few moments, they pulled apart, and while Natsu went into the kitchen to finish prepping breakfast, Erza sat on the couch and looked around at the house. 

Natsu's house was small, especially compared to her apartment in Crocus, but it had more of a feeling of home. There was a small fireplace over on the east wall opposite of her, with a small mantle filled with picture frames. There was a picture of Natsu with an older man with orange hair, a wide smile on both of their faces. Another one showed a group of young men, with Natsu in the center, his arm around another man with black hair, who Erza recognized as Natsu's partner from the fuel depot. Looking away from the pictures, she examined the rest of the house. The windows on the south wall faced the lake and the massive tree that she had seen upstairs. She jumped as she felt something nudge her hand, looking down and seeing the blue cat, Happy, rubbing his head against her hand. She scratched behind the small kitten's ears, causing it to purr and arch its back. She looked up as Natsu reentered the room, a tray of food in his hands. "You still like pancakes and eggs, right?" He said, setting the food down on the coffee table in front of them with a small smile. Erza's eyes widened as she saw the spread that Natsu had prepared. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, and to Erza's absolute delight, fresh strawberries. 

Natsu's smile grew even larger as he saw Erza's reaction. Weekends used to be his favorite time of the week, when he would get up early and make breakfast for himself and Erza. They would spend the day together, just sitting and laughing and spending time together. Natsu smiled sadly as the memories caught up with him, but his mood changed when Erza wrapped her hand in his. "Thank you, Natsu." She said, looking up at him with a small smile on her face. Natsu beamed. "No problem, Red!" He said, and Erza laughed at his use of her old nickname. "So, what's the plan for today?" Erza asked, looking up at Natsu. Natsu's brow furrowed in thought. "We're still waiting for Porlyusica to get here and check up on you, but then…" His face brightened as an idea popped in. "I could introduce you to everybody! They're probably down at Kinana's place for drinks." Erza nodded, her eyes nervous. Natsu wrapped his arms around her, pulling her head into his chest. "Don't worry, Erza, they'll love you. Besides, Jellal and I will be there if things get out of hand, okay?" Erza smiled up at him, before burying her head in his chest again. Natsu patted her back, then groaned as three loud raps sounded on the door. Moving to answer it, he moved aside as Porlyusica entered, a medical bag in her right hand and a pair of glasses in the other. 

"I hate doing house calls." The old healer grumbled, setting her bag on the table and motioning Erza over impatiently. "Come here, child, I haven't got all day!" She barked as Erza hurried over and sat down in the chair opposite Porlyusica. The healer pressed her hand against Erza's chest, examining where the wound had been and shaking her head. "As I suspected." She mumbled to herself, running her hand down where the scar was. "The wound has completely healed. Even the scar won't be there by tomorrow." The healer got up, grabbing her bag and muttering about wastes of time. "You're free to do whatever. The wound is completely healed, so go nuts. Although try to take care of yourself! That goes for you too, matchstick!" She snapped at Natsu, who nodded quickly. With that, the healer took her leave. "She seemed angry…" Erza said, but Natsu waved her off. "She's always like that. Doesn't really like other people. Don't worry, she wasn't mad at either of us." Erza smiled. "Now!" Natsu said, pounding his fist into his palm. "Let's go meet everybody!"

* * *

Mira looked around at the rest of her team as they stared at her. She had just got done explaining the situation to them in detail, and she was nervously awaiting their response. What she had just proposed was high treason of the most grievous kind. They would be actively opposing the Absolution regime, albeit in secret, and there was no guarantee that it would make a difference in the end. She started as Cana got up, striding around the table and to the window. "Let me get this straight," she said, staring out at the bustling city center. "The government has been lying to us about the so-called Anomaly threat, Erza and Juvia have BOTH manifested and are currently with the Anomalies, and you were approached by an Anomaly, who was working under Colonel Fernandes, who is allied with the Anomalies, to form a spy ring inside the Absolution military to save other Anomalies. Did I miss anything? Or is that the whole fucking keg?" Mira nodded, and Cana turned and resumed looking out of the window. It was quiet for a few minutes, before Kagura spoke up. "It does make sense, in a way. One, if the Anomalies are the monsters that Absolution paints them as, then why didn't the Dragons kill us when they had the chance? We were all unconscious, it would have been simple. Two, Colonel Fernandes was always a little secretive, and now it's obvious that he was hiding something." Standing, Kagura looked at Mira. "I say we give this Ultear the benefit of the doubt." Cana stared at her incredulously. "If there was ANYONE who I would think would refuse this hare-brained plan, it would be you, Kagura. You two do realize that we are going up against the most powerful military in the world, right? If they wanted to, they could easily take over the entire world and rule it. You do realize this, right?" Mira nodded. "It's not like we're fighting them outright, Cana. We would be doing this to save lives. To save innocent people-" "There's no need to guilt trip me into it." Cana said, cutting Mira off. "I was just making sure that you two realized the odds we're up against. I'm in. Sounds kinda fun, actually." Mira nodded. "In that case, we'll go tomorrow and give our answer to Ultear. She'll be waiting for us in the Colonel's office."

* * *

"Hey guys!" Natsu yelled as he walked into the spacious one-story pub. Everyone there turned and raised a glass to them, and Erza followed Natsu towards a booth in the corner, where the rest of his squad was sitting and nursing drinks. Laxus saw them first and waved to them, scooting in to allow the pair some room in the booth. Natsu sat, and Kinana walked up to take the newcomers' orders. Natsu ordered a beer, while Erza ordered water. "Alright, introduction time!" Natsu said, looking expectantly at his squad mates. Laxus cleared his throat. "Hello there, Miss Scarlet. My name is Laxus Dreyar, squad leader of the Dragons. I'm the one known as Thor." Erza nodded. Gajeel was the next to speak up. "The name's Gajeel Redfox, or Black Steel." "I'm Elfman, but I go by Beast." Elfman said, tilting his head in Erza's direction. "My name is Gray Fullbuster, and I go by the name Iceman." Gray said, and Juvia nodded from her position next to him. The group fell into conversation easily, first raising a toast to Natsu and Erza to celebrate their reunion, as the team all knew about Natsu's engagement. Next, they fell into a discussion about adding the two newcomers to the Dragons, seeing as they were already experienced fighters and had potent abilities for battle. After the business, it was easy banter, with the group laughing and chatting about anything and nothing at all. Erza smiled. This was a place she could finally feel at home.

* * *

Mira raised her hand and knocked, waiting for the voice to call her inside. When Ultear acknowledged her, Mira let herself in, shutting the door behind her. Ultear smiled as she turned around. "What may I help you with, Lieutenant?" She said, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Mira swallowed nervously. "I have the answer from yesterday." She began. Ultear nodded. "I figured as such." "We, as a squad, have decided to join you, Lieutenant Milkovich. We await our orders." Ultear smiled. "Excellent." Striding around the desk, the raven-haired woman embraced Mira, who stood there, surprised. "We'll need to find replacements for Captain Scarlet and Private Lockser. I have one person in mind, but we'll need to find another candidate soon. I want your squad to be at full strength, okay?" Mira nodded. "I have a friend that I can ask. She's military intelligence, so she could be really helpful." Ultear beamed. "That would be great!" She walked back around the desk, taking a seat. "Now, get going. Go home and grab some sleep, Lieutenant. I'll call you tomorrow." Mira nodded, walking out of the office and into the hallway.

* * *

"How about you guys go home?" Laxus asked, noticing the increasingly heated looks that Natsu and Erza shared. As the day had worn on, everyone tried to take it easy on the drinks, except for Natsu, who never did anything by half. Eventually, he had convinced Erza to join him, and they were both currently four beers deep and nursing their fifth. "Might as well." Natsu said. Gray and Juvia stood up from the table. "We'll go home as well. It is getting kind of late." Laxus nodded, glancing at Gajeel, who was nursing his third beer of the night. "I'll stay and help you pick up." The black-haired iron wielder said, noticing his comrade's eyes on him. Grinning, Laxus turned back to Natsu and Erza, who were currently in the midst of a kiss. Rolling his eyes, he cleared his throat. "Relax, ya party pooper." Natsu said, a small slur in his speech, as he separated from Erza. "We're going, keep your britches on." Laxus scoffed. "Hurry it up then, lover boy. I'm pretty sure Kinana wants to spend some time with Eric. And from the looks of it, you two could use some quality time to-how do I say this-celebrate your reunion?" Laxus winked at Natsu, who scowled good-naturedly. "Yeah, yeah, we're going," He said, grabbing Erza's hand and walking out of the pub, slightly buzzed. Laughing, Laxus and Gajeel helped Kinana pick up the empty beer bottles at their table and dispose of them, then wiped down the tables as Kinana stepped aside to get changed, reappearing a few minutes later in a green and white sundress. "What's the occasion?" Gajeel asked, glancing up from the table in the corner he was scrubbing. Kinana smiled shyly. "Eric and I are going to watch the stars from the Tenrou tree tonight, since it's supposed to be clear tonight." She said, nervously adjusting the straps of her dress. Laxus gave her a thumbs up. "Hope it goes well!" He said, and Kinana beamed as she walked out the door with a hurried "thank you." Gajeel guffawed as he went back to scrubbing the table. "Seems like everybody's in love now, huh, Laxus?" He asked, moving on to the table beside the door. "Everyone except us." Laxus replied, smiling wryly. "You ever think about slowing down?" Gajeel questioned. Laxus stood up, tossing the rag he used in the basket behind the bar. "Not enough time to right now. After all this? The fighting, the rescue missions, the hiding, the training? We'll see." Gajeel nodded, tossing his own rag into the basket. "I hear you. Even if I did have time, I don't even think that I would go for anybody here. I don't see anybody in that way." Gajeel said. Laxus nodded. "Same here." He said, locking the door to the pub as per Kinana's instructions. "Who knows?" Laxus continued, as Gajeel walked out. "Maybe we'll find somebody." Gajeel laughed. "Maybe we will."

* * *

"Interesting." The black-haired man said, looking at the book in his hands and resting his head on his open palm. "And you say this…weapon will track the Anomalies and kill them all?" "It should, Lord Geer. This could be the solution to the Anomaly threat once and for all." The engineer in front of him said, his head bowed. "In the meantime," A blonde haired man said, teeth bared in a feral smile, "we need to take care of the Dragons. Those thieving scoundrels have bothered us for too long." The black-haired man smiled, his eyes closed. "That _is_ a good idea, Jackal. You and Tempester will set a trap for them and eliminate them. Then, we will set the weapon for a collision course with the destruction of the Anomalies once and for all."

* * *

Natsu laughed as he and Erza made their way back to the apartment, both giddily feeling the effects of the alcohol they had consumed over the three hours they spent at Kinana's. They both giggled as Natsu fumbled with the doorknob, before tumbling into the apartment. Somehow, in the confused pile of limbs falling through the doorway, Erza ended up pinned underneath Natsu, staring up into his eyes. "Sorry," Natsu said, climbing off of her and clambering to his feet. Erza gratefully accepted his hand, and pulled herself up to her feet. Stumbling slightly, she almost fell, only to be caught by Natsu's strong embrace. Looking up, she got lost in his eyes, the rich dark grey orbs capturing her total attention. Raising her head, she captured his lips in an intense kiss. Running her hands up the back of his shirt, her fingers explored the broad, muscled expanse of her lover's back. Pulling him backwards, she tried to lead him towards the couch in the living room, but Natsu pulled away with a mischievous smirk, grabbing her hand and pulling her up to the bed room. Stumbling through the door, they resumed the passionate kiss from downstairs, Erza's hands again finding their way underneath his shirt, while Natsu's hands cupped her ass and pulled her closer to him. Erza moaned a she felt Natsu's bulge rub against her, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth.

They both backed up, their lips still locked together, until Erza gasped as she felt her knees hit the edge of the bed. Natsu smirked as she lay underneath him, his fingers running up the side of her shirt, before returning to the hem and looking up into her eyes, silently asking permission. Erza nodded, and Natsu slowly removed her shirt, leaving Erza covered only in her shorts and a black bra. Natsu paused for a moment, taking a few seconds to look at the body of his fiancée, from the perfect curves to the small remnants of the scar on her chest. Leaning down, he kissed his way up the scar, from her left hip to her right shoulder. As Erza moaned softly, he kissed from her collarbone to the pulse point on her neck, causing her to arch her back in pleasure. Natsu smirked against her neck as his hands wrapped around her, unclipping her bra and tossing it on the floor to join her shirt. Erza gasped as Natsu flicked his thumb over her exposed nipple, causing a jolt of pleasure. Natsu kissed his way down to her right breast, taking it in his mouth and running his tongue around the pale pink nipple, causing Erza to arch her back and moan in pleasure. Natsu took the other nipple and rolled it between his fingers. Erza bucked her hips, practically begging for Natsu to remove the rest of her clothes, but Natsu was having none of it. He held her hips down with his left hand, while his mouth and his right hand continued their ministrations to her breasts. "Natsu…please!" Erza moaned. Natsu smiled, lifting his head from her chest. "Is the great Erza Scarlet _begging?"_ he teased, looking at her. Erza glared at him, then smirked. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled his head in for a kiss, then flipped, them, so that Natsu was lying on his back, with Erza knelt astride him. She leaned over him, her arms on either side of his head. She bent down and kissed him, before moving her hands to the hem of his shirt, pulling it off and tossing it to join the rest of their clothes who-knows-where. Running her hands down his sculpted chest, she bent down and kissed his collarbone, kissing her way up his neck and to his ear. "I am so glad that I get to do this again." She whispered, nibbling on his ear. Natsu shuddered in pleasure. Erza bent down and nipped at his neck, right on his sensitive spot, causing him to gasp and moan in pleasure. She continued to kiss her way down his body, running her tongue over his sculpted abs. Natsu bucked his hips, causing Erza to gasp as their nether regions came into contact. Erza smirked. "Oh?" She asked, grinding her hips against his and causing Natsu to throw his head back in pleasure. "Is someone wanting something?" She ground her hips against his again, and Natsu let out a groan. "Erza, if you don't stop, I'm gonna-" Erza silenced her with a kiss, simultaneously reaching down and unbuttoning Natsu's jeans. She broke the kiss and slid is pants down, revealing his black boxers and the impressive tent that he was currently pitching. "Well, well, well." She said, sliding herself down his body and hooking her fingers around the waistband of his boxers. "Someone certainly is excited."

With that, she slid his boxers down his legs, tossing them over her shoulder and leaving Natsu naked on the bed. Erza crawled back up his body, planting a kiss on his lips. Natsu, however had other ideas, wrapping his arms around her neck and flipping her underneath him, much like she had done to him earlier. Natsu ran his hands down her sides, eliciting a shudder of pleasure from Erza. Natsu unbuttoned her shorts and slid them down her long legs, tossing them over his shoulder to join the rest of their clothes and leaving Erza in just a pair of black panties. Natsu ran two fingers over her panty-clad sex, causing Erza to arch her back and let out a gasp of pleasure. He lowered his head to her chest and took her nipple in his mouth, running his tongue over the pale pink skin. Erza squirmed and mewled as the pleasure reached new heights. She arched her back in pleasure as Natsu slid a hand down her panties and toyed with her entrance, sending burst of pleasure straight to her core. She gasped as Natsu pleasured her body, the feelings so intense after three years' absence. She gasped and moaned in pleasure as Natsu's long fingers toyed with her clit and entrance, bringing her to the edge. She let out a high-pitched moan as Natsu slid a finger inside, crooking it and hitting her sensitive spot, and very nearly lost it when he added a second and began pumping in and out of her, all the while stimulating her clit with his thumb. It didn't take long before she fell over the edge into orgasm, her back arching off of the bed as Natsu helped her to ride it out. After a few moments, she collapsed onto the bed, spent. Natsu removed his fingers and placed them in his mouth, licking them clean. After that, he climbed on top of Erza, helping her ease her panties off and tossing them on the floor next to the bed. Erza wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck as Natsu positioned himself, then gasped as she felt him enter her, his shaft sliding in effortlessly and filling her. Natsu paused for a moment, letting Erza readjust to the feeling. When she nodded, he pulled out so that only the tip remained inside of her, then eased forward slowly, drawing a long, low moan out of Erza. Natsu repeated the process several times, until Erza was nearly sobbing with want for him. "Please, Natsu!" She moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist. "I need you." Natsu smirked. "You have me." He said. "Now and forever." With that, he pulled out and rammed into Erza with primal lust, causing her to gasp with pleasure. Natsu pounded into Erza, the sound of skin slapping skin reverberating through the room, along with gasps and moans from the two lovers. Natsu paused, placing Erza's legs on his shoulders, and resumed his savage pounding, going deeper than before and causing Erza to scream with pleasure. "Oh God, Natsu!" She moaned. "Don't stop!" With that, Erza slipped over the edge for the second time that night, losing herself to another orgasm. Natsu grunted as Erza's core tightened around him, as he was close to his own release. Slowing the pace down a little, Natsu pumped in and out of Erza at a leisurely pace, placing her legs back on the bed and prolonging the feeling of togetherness for a little bit longer. When Erza wrapped her legs around him, though, it was all over. With a long groan, Natsu came, filling Erza and collapsing next to her, leaving both of them satisfied.

After a bit, the pair got up and went into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Natsu walked up behind Erza as she stood there, in all her glory, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. "I missed you, Red." He said, kissing her cheek. Erza nodded, turning and placing a kiss on the side of his mouth. "I missed you, too, Natsu." She said, trying not to cry. "Every day that I woke up, I wondered what we'd be doing if you had survived. I would take out the ring for no reason other than to daydream. It was…" Erza closed her eyes as the flood of memories poured in. Natsu tightened his arms around her waist. "It's alright, Red. I'm here.

I won't leave you again."

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 **Hope you guys enjoyed! I should have chapter seven up by either this Friday or next Friday, and I'm aiming for uploads every other Friday on this story! Once again, hope you guys enjoyed, follow, favorite, or review if you did, and I'll see you later. May the sun always be at your back and the wind fill your wings!**

 **-StormDragonSlayer**


	7. Hunter and Hunted

**Hey guys, Storm here! Here's chapter seven of Spark! A couple of things. First, I want to apologize for the delay on this chapter. I'm trying to find a job at the moment and that's taking a lot of my writing time. But, now that I have secured one, I should have more time for writing. Second, this chapter is a little on the short side, and I apologize for it. I just felt like this was a great place to end off. Third, I just wanted to thank you guys for all of the support on this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Anyways, Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I'll see ya later.**

 **OH! And before I forget, thank you to WolfGaming for the review. It ade me smile to know that people actually enjoy my writing.**

 **Storm OUT!**

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"Alright," Natsu said, handing Erza a pair of goggles as they stood in the Death Room. In the week since she had come to Tenrou Island, she had gotten to know everyone on the small island, and she and Juvia had been told that they were going to join the Dragons. "This is a Multiple Advantage Virtual Intelligence System, or MAVIS for short." Erza nodded, slipping the goggles over her head and over her eyes. Immediately, a small voice sounded in her ear, from the ear radio that came with the headset. "Hello. I'm MAVIS!" Erza flinched, looking at Natsu wide-eyed. Natsu merely laughed. "It's alright. She's just getting to know you." "SHE?!" Erza yelled. "Yes!" The AI chirped. "My name is MAVIS. I'm an artificial intelligence system developed by Mavis Vermilion, the founder of the Fairy Tail Anomaly group. When she designed me, she gave me her persona. It's so nice to meet you, Miss Erza!" Erza stood there, in shock for a moment, before she responded. "It's…nice to meet you too, MAVIS. I hope we can work together soon." "Great!" The AI said. "Natsu will teach you how to utilize me in combat." Natsu nodded, his own MAVIS headset over his eyes. "MAVIS has several different uses in the field. First, she has several different view modes, including night vision, infrared, x-ray, and team vision" Erza nodded as she cycled through the different lenses. "She also has a secure radio link with anyone wearing a MAVIS headset, allowing you to communicate with your team. Now," Natsu said rubbing his palms together. "Let's put you through your combat paces."

After a half hour in the Death Room, Erza was feeling more confident in both her combat abilities and her ability to work with the AI, MAVIS. She and Natsu were just about to conduct a final team combat exercise when the door burst open. "Pack your shit." Laxus said, poking his head through the door and waving them out. "Meet at the shipyard in fifteen minutes. I'll brief you onboard the Mage." With that, the muscular blonde left, leaving the door open. Erza and Natsu looked at each other, then took off running towards the apartment.

"Laxus, what the hell is going on?" Gajeel asked as they climbed aboard the Mage. Laxus turned to face them. "According to our eyes in Crocus, two Anomalies have been spotted in the Eastern District. We need to move quickly in order to rescue them and get them out of there before Absolution gets wind of them." Gajeel nodded, and the remaining flight was spent in silence. Natsu and Erza sat next to each other, Natsu sharpening his katana, and Erza getting more acquainted with the MAVIS headset. Erza glanced up and noticed everyone, then elbowed Natsu, who looked up from dragging the whetstone along the blade of his katana. Indicating the others, she asked him. "What are they doing?" Natsu looked up and around. "They're psyching up for the mission. It's something like good luck." Erza nodded, before pulling out the jewelry box that she had kept with her after Natsu's disappearance, spinning it between her fingers. It helped to calm her nerves when she was on missions with the Fairy Hunters, and it did the same now. The box reminded her that life was in her team, in the people who watched her back and fought beside her. It was what kept her going, and with the man who had given it to her beside her, it took on a whole new meaning.

* * *

"Change of plans." Jackal said, setting the radio back into his belt and walking over to his partner. "Oh? And what's that?" Tempester replied, standing up and overlooking the East District. "We're to take at least some of them alive. Lord Geer wants to make an example out of them." Jackal sneered, his pointed teeth gleaming in the low light. Tempester grinned as well. "Excellent." They turned around, their eyes falling on the two unconscious teenagers, hands and feet bound by ropes. "Are you ready, Jackal?" Tempester asked, walking over and throwing one of them over his shoulder. Jackal smirked, grabbing the other by his black hair. "Let's go hunting."

"Alright, Dragons, let's go." Laxus said as the rear hatch opened. The seven Anomalies leapt out, landing with muffled thuds on the rooftop below. Thrusters flaring, the ship turned and took off towards the city limits as the Anomalies gathered around Laxus, who began dishing out orders. "At this point, those Anomalies could be anywhere in the East District, but according to our eyes, they're still here. Fan out and search. According to our guys, the two we are looking for are two teenagers, around seventeen or eighteen. One has blonde hair, the other black. They are traveling together, so that should narrow down the search. We're going to split up and search. If you find them, call over the radio and wait for the others to reach you before approaching them. Is that understood?" The other Dragons nodded, before scattering in all different directions.

" _Check in."_ It took Erza a few seconds to identify the voice as Laxus', but she listened as each member of the squad checked in.

" _Salamander. Nothing over here yet."_ Natsu growled, frustration evident in his voice.

" _Iceman. Same here."_ Gray answered, his calm voice the exact opposite of Natsu.

" _Black Steel. I ain't seen anything yet."_ Gajeel responded, his growl seemingly curious.

" _Beast. I've got nothing so far."_ Elfman replied, his voice carrying through the headset a little loudly.

" _Rain. Nothing to report."_ Erza instantly recognized Juvia's calm tones, after having worked with her on many missions.

Erza sighed, disappointed, before adding her voice to the queue. "Blade. I haven't seen anything."

Laxus cursed over the headset. _"Alright. Keep an eye out. They can't be far."_

* * *

"Come on, come on." Jackal sneered, scanning the rooftops with a pair of binoculars. From his position on the roof of an abandoned apartment building, he could see the East District's skyline, and any disturbance that broke the stationary view. His eyes focused as he saw a silhouette dart across a nearby rooftop, then pause. Smirking, he ducked into the apartment complex. "They're close." He told his partner, who had just finished tying up the hostages that they held. Tempester cracked a smirk. "Excellent."

* * *

"Thor." Erza said, while scanning the alleys below. There were a few seconds pause, before she heard the blonde's gruff tone answer back. " _What is it, Blade?"_ "I don't like this." She replied, switching her MAVIS goggles to night-vision to try and spot the pair of Anomalies. _"What do you mean?"_ Laxus asked. "I mean that it's too quiet. If we know about the Anomalies, then you can bet your ass that Absolution knows about them too. So why isn't the district swarming with soldiers? Something is not right here." Just as Laxus began to answer, however, Elfman's voice came through. "I've found them!" " _What is your position, Beast?"_ Laxus said, Erza's suspicions forgotten for the moment as the squad sprang into action. _"An old apartment building on the south side of the district."_ Erza took off, trying to reach the building as fast as she could. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about this whole thing.

"Alright, here's the plan." Laxus said, as the squad overlooked the derelict building that the Anomalies were in. "Me, Natsu, Elfman and Gajeel will go in and secure the targets. Gray, Juvia and Erza will stay on this rooftop and keep an eye out for any Absolution goons that decide to come sniffing around. Understood?" The group nodded, and the four who were storming the building drew their sidearms, leaping onto the rooftop and dashing over to the roof access door. "Be careful, you guys." Erza said. Natsu glanced back, sharing a last loving glance with her before they breached the roof access door and disappeared into the building. Erza's hand went to the breast pocket of her vest, and she fingered the small velvet box that lay there.

Laxus held up a fist, halting the three behind him, before swinging around the doorway, P226 pointing at the corners of the hallway. "Clear!" He whispered, and the rest of the squad moved past him to the end of the hallway, keeping their guns trained on the corners as they made their way towards the last room on the left. Gajeel was the first to reach it, and he paused, counting down on his fingers from three, he spun around the corner, his gun covering the room, before he straightened up in confusion. "They're not here!" He growled, slamming his fist into the wall. "What?!" Laxus said, following Gajeel in. "They were here! I saw them!" Elfman said, shaking his head. Suddenly the group froze as a laugh rang out from behind them. "Looking for these?" A voice said. Natsu spun around and saw a blonde-haired man in a military vest, a pair of black gloves covering his hands. Instantly, four Sig Sauers were pointed at his chest, but he held up a hand, holding a blonde teenager by the back of his sleeveless jacket. His other hand held a knife to the boy's throat. "Ah, ah, ah. Drop your weapons, Anomaly scum, or I'll kill the boy." When the squad hesitated, the man pressed the knife into the boy's throat, causing a line of crimson to appear where steel met flesh. "Do it!" He shouted, and the Dragons dropped their pistols to the wooden floor. "Thank you! Now, we can get down to business." Laxus' eyes widened as the soldier dropped the knife and reached into his pocket, pulling out a detonator. Placing a finger on his radio, he was barely able to shout a warning before the soldier pushed the button and brought the building crashing down around them. "AMBUSH! GET CLEAR!"

Erza sat on the edge of the roof, spinning the jewelry box between her finger and thumb, staring at the apartment building that the rest of the squad had disappeared into fifteen minutes ago. She couldn't help but worry. Why weren't they back yet? What was happening inside there? She started slightly as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Juvia's familiar face. "Don't worry. I'm sure they're alr-" Juvia was cut off by a panicked yell through the headset. " _AMBUSH! GET CLEAR!"_ Seconds later, Erza screamed in terror as the entire apartment building was caught in a massive explosion, the entire building collapsing in on itself. She scrambled backwards and to her feet, one name on her lips.

"NATSU!"

* * *

 **Yeah, I'm gonna get a headstart before the mob comes and finds me, pitchforks and torches and all that. Storm, exit stage left!**

 **May the sun always be at your back and the wind fill your wings!**


	8. Race Against The Clock

**Hey, guys, Storm here. Here's chapter eight of Spark, and I know it's up late. I'm sorry for that. I don't know when the next one will be up. Real life is kind of being a dick right now with my work schedule and other things.**

 **Thank you to super-sand and WolfGaming for the reviews.**

 **Keep up the support, and I'll see you guys next time.**

* * *

" _AMBUSH! GET CLEAR!" Seconds later, Erza screamed in terror as the entire apartment complex was caught up in a massive explosion, the building collapsing in on itself. She scrambled backwards and to her feet, one name on her lips._

" _NATSU!"_

* * *

Erza made to leap off the edge, intent on digging through the rubble to find her fiancé, but her arm was caught by a large hand and pulled backwards. "Let go!" She sobbed hysterically, trying to pull herself free. "He's down there, I have to go and help him! Let me go!" "Erza, stop!" Gray's voice rang out, and she was pulled even further backwards, towards the roof access door. "I have to find him!" She argued, sobbing, but Gray spun her around, his hands going to her shoulders. "Erza, stop and think!" He growled, shaking her slightly. "That explosion was a trap set by Absolution, and it probably alerted every clone squad and military officer in the city! If you go down there, it'd be suicide!" Gray's voice cracked near the end, and he hung his head, his grip going from confining Erza to almost holding himself up. "We have to get away from here. On foot. The Mage will have heard Laxus' warning and left. We need to keep a low profile and get out of the city. Now, c'mon. I know a place where we can lay low until we can leave." Turning, he pushed his goggles up to his forehead and wiped his eyes, before setting his shoulders and leading the two women off into the night, but not before the trio took one last look back at the pile of rubble that had fallen on top of the bodies of their friends.

Natsu woke to a killer headache, and opened his eyes blearily, then shut them. _That made no sense,_ he thought. _Last I remember, the building was coming down on us. So why is there a roof above me?_ He made to roll over, only to wince and groan as a line of pain shot up his arm. He instead opted to sit up, using his uninjured arm to push himself into a sitting position. Looking around at the bleak jail cell, his brain finally caught up to his situation, the worst that a Dragon could find themselves in. Captured by the enemy.

"C'mon, this way." Gray muttered, the hood of his cloak obscuring his face. He led the girls down a side alley, and towards the back door of a tavern that looked to be closed. Gray raised his hand and knocked three times. A gruff voice answered. "Go home, we're closed." Gray looked around, before answering. "We have no home, only a family and a dream." There was a slight pause, before the voice sounded from behind the door again. "Then how do you guard your dreams?" Gray answered once again. "With will and family." There was another slight pause, then they heard the deadbolt slide back and the door open. Standing behind the door was a young man, around twenty-five. He towered over them, with a body built like a sword, long and lean and muscular. His blue eyes were sharp, almost producing their own light source, and his brown hair was cropped close. A light blue button-down shirt and a pair of black pants made up his outfit, along with a rather worn baseball cap and a dark green Celtic necklace. "Hustle it up. I don't need to get caught by the AP." He hurried them inside, closing and locking the door behind him. "Get upstairs and we can talk." After they were safely upstairs, the man turned to them, before walking up to Gray and promptly punching him in the jaw. The two girls immediately leapt to their feet, but Gray put his hand up to stop them. "It's okay." He assured them, rubbing his jaw in the process. "Geez, you didn't have to hit me so hard." "You deserved it for what you did in Clover." The other man replied, wrapping Gray in a brotherly hug. "If you say so." Gray retorted, before addressing the two girls. "Oh, Erza, Juvia, this is Eric Noctem, an Anomaly. He stays undercover and reports recent activity to us. Eric, this is Juvia Lockser and Erza Scarlet." The young man tipped his worn baseball cap to them. "Good evening." Turning back to Gray, he spoke. "So what brings you to my bar?" Gray shook his head. "We need a place to lay low for a while." Eric nodded. "You've got the right place. I've got space in the basement that I use in case I find anyone. But what happened? Where are Laxus and the rest of the squad?" Gray hung his head. "They were caught in a trap set by Absolution and are MIA." He said. Eric sat there stunned. "You're kidding." He breathed, shock evident on his face. He listened as the group took turns explaining what had happened over the past few days, including the attack on the fuel depot, Natsu and Erza's reunion, and the failed rescue, where Erza broke down, sobbing. Juvia put a comforting arm around her shoulders. Eric's head hung, his eyes closed. Standing up quickly, he strode to the door. "I'll be right back." He said, leaving the door wide open as he stalked downstairs. Not two minutes later, the tall Anomaly was back, a radio in hand. Pressing the button, he spoke sharply. "Angel to Frost. Come in, Frost." He waited tensely, his brow furrowed, until a deep voice sounded back through the receiver. " _Frost here. All clear. What's the situation?"_ "Status report. Need info on an ambush set tonight, and any prisoner movement since." There were a few seconds of silence, filled with the crackle of static. Then, Frost's deep tones rang through the handset. _"Four prisoners were brought in about three hours ago. They're being kept in Cell Block D. The prisoners, including Natsu Dragneel and Laxus Dreyar, are slated for execution at week's end._ " "Understood. Thanks, Frost." With that, he set the radio on the nearby table, and sat down, exhaling. "Eric, who was that?" Gray asked, his eyes hard-set on the tall man. "That was my man on the inside. You see, we're all a part of Crime Sorciere. So when something goes down in the city involving Anomalies, we're often some of the first people to know." Gray nodded. "Now," Eric said, standing up and motioning for them to follow. "Get some sleep. We're going to have to move fast if you want to get your squad back."

Natsu jumped awake as the large oak door at the end of the hallway slammed open. Sitting up, he glanced towards the cell door. A tall, raven-haired man stood at the bars. He wore a steel breastplate, the words Absolute Zero emblazoned on the left chest. "So this is the latest crop of Anomalies for the chopping block?" he sneered, glaring at Natsu, who stared defiantly back. "What?" Natsu responded. "Come to gloat from the other side of the bars? Let me out, we'll see who wins." "And why would I do that?" The man responded. Natsu simply glared at him. The man's eyes glanced quickly down, and, following his gaze, Natsu froze when he saw frost crystals spreading across the floor, forming words. He glanced back up at the man, who held a finger to his lips and smirked, before walking away, whistling like the prison guard in old movies. Quickly, before it melted, Natsu read the message in the frost. _The name's Silver, but I go by Frost to our kind. Stay strong. We're going to get you out of here._

"You never told us." Erza said, glaring at Eric. "Told you what?" Eric said, bustling around the tavern as he prepared to open for the day. Erza snorted. "Anything! What your Manifestation is, how we're going to get the rest of our squad back, how you're connected to Fairy Tail, you haven't told us jack shit!" Eric stopped, glaring at Erza, who stood her ground. "Watch your tone, Miss Scarlet. Let me remind you that we are on the same side." He continued to wash the glasses behind the counter as he went on. "I understand that you are distraught, but you need to harden your heart, because there will be more deaths, more tragedy, before we find acceptance." "What do you know about loss?" Erza challenged, her stubbornness showing its full colors. "What do you know about losing someone close to you?" The glass in Eric's hand shattered as his hands clenched into fists. "Do not speak to me of loss, Miss Scarlet. At least you have an opportunity to save your loved one." With that, he walked off, slamming the tavern door behind him. Gray stood up, making to follow. "Be careful what you say, Erza. He is a valuable ally to have, but he has been through more than most." "What do you mean?" Erza asked, grabbing his wrist. "Explain it to me." Gray glanced at the door, before sighing and sitting down next to Erza. "Eric is one of the few Anomalies who was born with his Manifestation. He has massive wings, along with other modifications to his skeleton and muscles. He had a mother and a sister, but he had to watch as they both were killed in front of him by the Anomaly Police. He knows more than most about the loss of loved ones."

The sun was setting when Eric returned, his head bowed. Gray walked out to meet him, saying something under his breath. Eric nodded, and the pair walked over to the ladies. "We're moving tonight. We go in, get your squad out, and get out of town before the entire Absolution military is on our ass. The only thing that's worse would be if Tartaros found us." Erza nodded. "Absolution's elite strike squad. A group of nine soldiers whose specific job it is to hunt down and capture Anomalies. After that, then it's torture and execution." Eric nodded. "Since the execution is on Sunday, the torture starts tomorrow, and I'd rather get your friends out of there before they have to face Kyoka and Seilah." Eric shuddered at the two names, and Gray's face paled, while the two women sat there, glancing back and forth between the two men. "What's so terrifying about them?" Erza asked. Eric glanced over at them. "Kyoka and Seilah are Absolution's primary torturers. They are scientists who developed a toxin that magnifies a person's sensitivity to pain. It makes it so that even a slight gust of wind blowing across the victim's skin is equal to unimaginable torture." The two women's eyes widened. "Yeah," Gray continued. "That's why we're moving tonight. I'd rather not we go to rescue them, only to find broken souls where our friends once were." Erza and Juvia nodded, standing up and grabbing their effects, Juvia her sniper rifle, and Erza her sword and H-38. Eric grabbed a 12-inch long knife and a pistol from underneath the bar, while Gray readied his staff and his sidearm. "Everybody ready?" Eric asked, flipping the sign at the front of the tavern to closed. "Right, let's go."

Natsu's teeth ground together as he paced back and forth across his cell, contemplating how exactly the hell they were supposed to get out of there. From what he gathered from snippets of guards' conversations, they were in the lowest level of the central Absolution government building in downtown Crocus. Getting out of their cells would be challenging enough, but out of the building, or the city? Impossible. Or damn close to it. At least without outside help. He looked up sharply as the oaken door slammed open again, with Silver striding through it cockily. His black heeled boots clacked on the concrete floor, and his breastplate shone as if recently polished. The guards on either side of the door snapped into a salute, but Silver waved them away. "Dismissed." He said lazily, glancing around the cell room with indifference and ignoring the protests of "But, sir-!" "Did I stutter?" Silver said, his voice dripping with malice. "The prisoners are locked up and I have the key. They will not harm me. Now, I said dismissed. Are you going to disobey me a second time?" The guards tripped over each other to vacate the room before they incurred the wrath of the infamous Demon Slayer. As the door thudded shut behind him, the cocky air left Silver, to be replaced by grim determination. Moving to Laxus' cell, he pulled out the key and unlocked it, before moving to Gajeel's cell and unlocking it as well, and Elfman's, and finally Natsu's. The four Anomalies hurried out into the center of the room, gathering around Silver. "What's the plan?" Laxus said, and aura of electricity sparking around him. "We use the service hatch at the rear of the room to exit the cell block before the rest of Tartaros catches wind that you've escaped. That will lead to the main electrical hub of the building, and we'll use the maintenance exit to get out and run like hell for the city limits." Gajeel frowned. "That sounds…too simple." He said, glancing suspiciously at Silver, who shook his head. "The more complicated the plan, the more that could go wrong. KISS, my man, KISS." When Gajeel raised an eyebrow, Silver laughed. "Keep It Simple, Stupid."

"Angel to Frost?" Eric radioed, waiting for a reply. A few seconds later, he got it. " _Frost here, we're on our way."_ "Roger that, Frost. Be careful." Eric slid the radio into his belt, and tightened his grip on his sidearm, spreading his wings and drifting down from the rooftop he was on and drifting down t the secluded alley that the rest of the team was in. "They're on their way. They should be here inside of a half an hour." The group nodded. "So, now what?" Erza said, her hand tightening on her sword. "Nothing." Eric said, crouching down and folding his wings back in, so that they were hidden back under the loose jacket that he wore. "We wait for them." Erza growled. "I don't like that." She said, pacing back and forth in the small alley. "I realize that," Eric said coolly, "but it's the best plan we've got." Erza ground her teeth together, but gave in and settled down to wait. " _Hurry up, Natsu. Otherwise, I'm coming in after you."  
_

* * *

 **There you go. Hope you guys enjoyed. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but it will be after I get a handle on real life problems. May the sun always be at your back and the wind fill your wings.**

 **-StormDragonSlayer**


	9. Complications in Crocus

**Hey, guys, Storm here, and here's the next chapter of Spark. The Escape has begun! I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter, but work and lack of motivation to write kind of formed writer's block. I've had this chapter halfway finished for a few weeks now, but couldn't find the motivation to finish it, but here you guys go! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Storm OUT!**

* * *

"C'mon. Hurry up." Silver said, holding up the hatch into the maintenance room. One by one, the Dragons clambered through the hatch. "Alright." Silver said. "Now we-" "Where are our weapons?" Natsu said, cutting him off. The rest of the Dragons nodded. "In the opposite direction." Silver replied, crossing his arms. When Natsu didn't budge, he sighed. "You are going to get killed, you know that?" Silver grumbled, leading the way to the armory. "I really don't care." Natsu quipped back.

"Here. Get inside, quickly." Silver said, holding the door open as everyone ducked inside. "You have five minutes. Make it quick." Natsu nodded, his eyes scanning the armory until they landed on his katana, still in its beat-up leather sheath. Grabbing it and the P226 that sat beside it, he grabbed a magazine and slammed it into the chamber. He glanced around, first at Laxus, who was unsheathing his knife, then to Gajeel, who loaded his H-38 and grabbed some spare magazines. Natsu nodded before turning to Silver. "Let's go."

"Now what?" Elfman said, glancing both ways at the intersection that faced them. They had left the maintenance tunnels a few minutes ago, and now they were trying to find the entrance and get out into the city. "Take a left, then a right and keep going down that hall." Silver answered, urging them on. Running, they followed his instructions, they took the right and barged through the door, emerging out into the city center. Behind them they heard a piercing alarm, followed by the words that they had hoped not to hear. "Prisoner escape. Tartaros, please move to apprehend." "Shit." Silver cursed, before turning to them. "Split up and meet at the tavern. I'll radio Eric and tell him. GO!"

* * *

Eric watched as Erza paced the alleyway. They were waiting for Silver to call in, but they hadn't heard from him since the beginning of the break-out. Suddenly, the radio crackled to life. " _Frost to Angel. Come the fuck in!"_ Eric snatched up the radio. "Angel here. What the fuck happened?" The silence was short, was insanely tense. " _We made it outside, but someone must have seen us. We're being hunted by Tartaros, so we've split up and we're going to meet at the tavern. Clear?"_ Eric grit his teeth. "Don't bother. We'll split up and find you guys, then we'll head for the forest to the east. Understood?" " _Loud and clear. I'm with Elfman in the east district-"_ Gray nodded when Eric pointed in his direction. _"Gajeel was headed north-"_ Juvia nodded. " _And Laxus and Natsu headed to the south. See you soon."_ "Hopefully." Eric said, standing up. "Angel out." He looked around at the rest of the group, his look of determination mirrored in the eyes of the three others. "Let's go."

Natsu panted as he sprinted through the streets of Crocus, Laxus right on his tail. Behind them, they heard the laugh of the blond Tartaros soldier behind him. "Oh, come on! Don't you want to stop and have some fun?" Natsu growled, throwing fire behind them. The soldier just laughed. "Jeez, you Dragons really are pathetic." He laughed again, pursuing them as the chase led to the rooftops. As they leapt from rooftop to rooftop, two silhouettes detached themselves from the skyline and dashed alongside. One of them spread giant wings, flying low and firing shots back at the soldier, forcing him to dodge. "Eric!" Laxus shouted. The young man grinned, reloading and continuing to fire on their pursuer. "Erza!" Natsu breathed a sigh of relief. He had been silently dreading what had happened to Erza since he had woken up in that jail cell. "Glad to see you're alright!" she yelled, falling into stride with him. "We need to make our way back towards the tavern!" Laxus yelled. Erza shook her head. "Change of plans! We're heading east towards the forest!" Laxus nodded, dashing to the left through an alley, the others falling into step behind him.

The soldier sat up on the rooftops, the eyepatch covering his left eye, his right eye peering through the scope of the sniper rifle that he wielded, focusing on a pair of people who were quickly making their way through the empty streets of the east district. He grinned manically. The chance of a lifetime to gain the admiration and respect of Lord Geer, and maybe a cool bit of cash on the side. As he tracked them through the streets, he spoke to himself, in a high-pitched, nasally voice. "A traitor and an Anomaly? How many favors are your lives worth?" His fingers twisted the focus knob on his scope. "How many? How many?"

Silver and Elfman paced quickly through the streets of the East District, trying to make their way to the city limits. Silver led the way down the main street, while Elfman kept an eye out for pursuers. "We have to make our way off of the main streets." Silver said, glancing around furtively. Elfman nodded, continuing to scan their surroundings. Silver's eyes widened as a uniformed person stepped out of a building in front of them. They turned directly towards the pair, but it was Elfman who spoke first. "Sis-sister?" The soldier's eyes widened, moisture forming in the corners. "Elfman?" And before Silver could stop them, they ran forward, embracing each other tightly. As they stood there, weeping and hugging each other, overjoyed at their reunion, suddenly, a rifle report rang through the city.

 _This motherfucker just don't know when to quit!_ Gajeel thought, tearing through an alley that he hoped would slow down his pursuer, an athletic looking dark-skinned guy with blonde hair. This guy had been chasing him since they left the central building. Rounding a corner, he swore and ducked as a blast of frozen energy sped over his head. He heard a grunt as the blast caught his pursuer in the chest, knocking him back. The man who had fired looked at Gajeel. "'Sup, Frosty?" Gajeel said, looking at Gray. Gray merely scoffed, freezing the pursuer's arm to the ground to prevent him following. "C'mon. We're heading for the forest." "Why there?" Gajeel asked, taking off down the street, Gray running next to him. "There's been a change of plans. We're-" Gray stopped as a rifle report rang out from somewhere to the east. Gajeel looked back at Gray, who looked grim. "Let's go check it out."

Mira froze as the rifle report echoed through the buildings. Her fingers moved up Elfman's back, and they recoiled as she felt a warm wetness on his shirt. She drew back, her eyes finding her long lost brother's face, only to see pain and confusion etched into it as he struggled to breathe. "E-Elfman?" She whispered, hoping that all of the evidence in front of her was false, that her eyes were playing tricks on her. "Elfman? Brother?" She repeated, a little louder. Suddenly, the man behind him, whom she recognized as Captain Silver Fullbuster of Tartaros, ran to them, wrapping her brother's arm around his shoulder and helping them to get off of the streets and into an alleyway that was out of the line of fire. Once there, Silver laid him out and stripped Elfman's shirt off of him, lying his head against his chest to listen for a heartbeat. He cursed and began doing chest compressions, while Mira sat there in shock. Her eyes wouldn't, couldn't accept this. Lisanna had died two years ago, and now her brother, whom she had thought dead, was lying on the ground, not breathing. Something awoke inside of her at the sight. A darkness, which uncoiled like a waking dragon. She got up and stumbled to the alley entrance, suddenly feeling as if her skin was crawling. She let out a groan, which caused Silver to look up from Elfman's prone form, his eyes widening as he beheld the sight in front of him. Mira was standing against the wall, a purple aura surrounding her as her form shifted. Two large, leathery wings sprang from her back, and her hands grew talons on the end of them. Her mouth, open in a silent roar, grew fangs. She was slowly transforming into a demon. Making a snap decision, he abandoned Elfman's body and grabbed Mira by the shoulder, spinning her to face him. Her eyes, until then vacant, focused, a deep maroon color in the irises. "Miss Strauss, you have to gain control!" Silver shouted. Recognition flooded her eyes, and she began to calm, the aura fading from view, although her form remained the same. "What-what happened?" She asked, looking around in fright. Silver grimaced. "You manifested."

* * *

 **There ya go! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I've got plans and some motivation for the next chapter so be on the lookout!**

 **In other news, I am going to be pulling the plug on ODaK. I'm sorry for any readers of that story, but it has kind of fallen out of favor, and I don't feel like writing for that. If you want to take it up, PM me and it is all yours, and I will be waiting eagerly to see what you do with it. Also, I may be coming out with a RWBY fanfic here in the near future, but more on that at a different time.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed, follow, favorite, and review if you did, and I will catch you later!**

 **May the wind fill your wings and the sun always be at your back...**

 **-StormDragonSlayer**


	10. Repercussions

**HOLY SHIT, IT HAS BEEN A WHILE, PEOPLE!**

 **Hey, guys, Storm here, and I am finally, FINALLY back, after almost seven months, with the next chapter of Spark! I've had this thing partially written for the longest time, but I just have not been able to finish it until just now. Hopefully, it's up to scratch! Hope you guys enjoy, and I'll see ya later!**

 **Storm OUT!**

* * *

"Where are they?" Natsu growled, pacing the clearing they were currently sitting in. Their group had arrived at the clearing fifteen minutes ago, and they were getting anxious to be moving, before the AP were on their trail again. "I don't know." Eric said, sitting and staring at the small campfire that Natsu had lit. "Usually, Frost would radio in unless something went wrong, so…"

* * *

"Come on, Miss Strauss, we have to get you out of the city. If you stay here…" Silver crouched beside her, trying to help her to her feet, but she wouldn't budge. "My brother…is he…is he going to be okay?" Silver's head hung. "Dead." Silver growled, his eyes shut with pain. "He's dead. The shot went straight through his heart." A sob burst through Mirajane's chest, and she draped her body over Elfman's motionless form. She continued on for a moment, before Silver's hand fell on her shoulder. "Come on, Miss Strauss. We have to-" He was cut off by a roar of rage from the entrance of the alley. "YOU!" Next thing either of them knew, a fist crashed into Silver's jaw, sending him careening into the alley wall. Mirajane looked around, only to be greeted by the barrel of an archaic pistol, wielded by a very angry Dragon. The new arrival had a wild, furious look in his eye, and the gun barrel in her face shook with the force of his rage. "You have thirty seconds," the Dragon said, his voice a deadly calm that belied his fury, "to explain why one of our comrades is lying on the ground, dead, before I make a decision as to whether or not our third rule applies to scum like you." The air temperature had dropped drastically, and Mira could see frost spreading from the area around the Dragon. Mira froze. Her focus zeroed in on the gun barrel in front of her. Suddenly, Silver's voice rang out from the end of the alley. "Relax, kid. It wasn't…her fault." "You just shut up." The Dragon said, glaring at Silver. "You have no right to talk to me!" The older man merely smiled sadly. "Gray…" "Time's almost up, scum." The Dragon said, turning his attention back to her. Panicking, she reached for the only statement that she could.

The truth.

"That man is my brother." She said, trying to hold back sobs. "We had just reunited when there was a gunshot and he fell." She hung her head, tears breaking through her tough exterior. "I'm…sorry…" With that, she curled her arms across her chest, trying to keep herself together. The Dragon stilled, the fury beginning to fade from his eyes, before it returned full force and he swung the gun around to point at Silver. "And YOU! You had better have a good explanation as well, you-"

"GRAY!" Gajeel shouted, cutting him off. "Calm down, before you ice over the whole damn street. We'll have this conversation later. He's the one who rescued us, so I think he deserves at least a little thanks. Now, how about we go find the others and get far away from this shit hole as possible?" Gray growled, and his finger inched closer to the trigger, before he finally sighed, and holstered the gun. "Fine. But we will be having a long discussion when we do." He glared pointedly at Silver, who sighed and nodded. Without another word, Gray turned and stalked towards the alley entrance, checking both ways before slipping out into the street. Mira followed him, still sobbing quietly, and Gajeel and Silver brought up the rear, their weapons drawn and scoping out their surroundings. "I don't think I've ever actually seen Iceman this pissed off before." Gajeel muttered, glancing at the older man. "Just what the hell did you do?" Silver smiled sadly, his eyes on the ground in front of him. "I left him and his mother to join Crime Sorciere and the military." Silver looked at him, regret filling his gaze. "I was his father." Shaking his head, he tapped his earpiece, relaying the events of the last thirty minutes to Eric. He received a rather short, clipped reply, and nodded, before signing out and glancing at Gajeel. "They're in a clearing about a mile in. Shouldn't take us more than two hours to reach them." Gajeel nodded, quickening his pace and giving Gray the same info. His reply was merely a single nod, and he picked up the pace. The rest of the group followed, making their way silently through the streets of Unity's strongest city.

* * *

Natsu stood up as he heard footsteps from the edge of the clearing, turning with his hand on his katana, only to relax when he saw Gray break through the trees, a strange woman steps behind him and Gajeel and Silver behind her. He jumped and Laxus drew his sidearm, pointing it at the woman, but Gray raised his hand, calling a halt to Laxus' actions. "But she's a-" Laxus began, but was cut off again, this time by Gajeel. "She's a former Hunter, yeah, we know. She's also just lost her brother to Absolution and Manifested in the same night, so I wouldn't be so quick to charge, bolt boy." Laxus looked at him, shocked, before walking over, hastily tucking his gun back into its holster. "Sorry about that. Can't be too careful, though. What's your name?" "Mirajane. Mirajane Strauss." The woman replied, her hair covering her eyes. Laxus nodded, before his eyes shot open and he stared at Gray. "Strauss? That means." Gray merely nodded, clearly not in the mood for talking. "Sniper took Beast out during the escape." Gajeel elaborated, walking over to stand next to Laxus. "He never felt a thing. Straight through the heart." Laxus hung his head, shocked. How had this mission gone so wrong? No rescue of the anomalies, the ambush and capture, the loss of a teammate. Shaking his head, he made his way of to the fire, and was just about to put it out when there was a breaking of branches nearby. He drew his weapon again, the action mirrored across the rest of the Dragons and Silver, and they were all pointed at the direction the sound came from. Seconds later, a disheveled figure crashed through the trees, several deep gashes across his chest. "Please…help me…" He said, before collapsing on the ground. The group stood there for a second, before Natsu darted forward and rolled the young man over. He gasped and fell over backwards, scrambling backwards, before picking himself up and scooping the kid up, putting out the fire quickly. "What's up?" Gray asked, dashing over to Natsu's side. Natsu looked at him, concern in his eyes. "It's one of the kids we were here for."

* * *

 **There ya go! Hope you guys enjoyed, follow, favorite, and/or review if you did, and I'll see you later! Sorry for the short chapter, but I had to get SOMETHING out.**

 **Now, for review answering!**

 **WolfGaming-** Sorry for making you wait so long, but I hope that this makes it worth it!

 **Dramabug15-** *Strikes determined anime pose* Thank you, kind madame!

 **Until next time, my peeps**

 **May the sun always be at your back and the wind fill your wings**

 **~StormDragonSlayer**


	11. A Moment to Breath

**Guess who's baaaaaaaack!**

 **That's right, my jaw is fully healed, and with it, a new chapter of Spark has come! Now, this is more of a transition chapter, so apologies if it feels a little weak, but I figured I could get a little character intro/dev in here. So, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The group made their way through the forest, stopping every fifteen minutes to check and see if the kid they were carrying with them was still breathing. Finally, at around three in the morning, they made it to an abandoned farmhouse on the edge of the forest. "Alright," Laxus said, noticing the symbol painted on the side of the house. "We'll spend a few days here, some time to get back on our feet, then we head out. See if we can't steal ourselves a ride back to Tenrou." The group nodded. Eric let his wings free, flying up to the top of the roof and sitting there, keeping an eye out for any unwanted visitors. Gray and Laxus carried the unconscious blonde inside, setting him on the couch in the living room. Laxus headed down into the basement, Natsu and the Hunter, Mirajane Strauss, following him. Gajeel and Silver clambered up the roof to join Eric in his vigil, and Erza and Juvia sat on the porch, maintaining their weapons.

"You know, you don't have to join me up here." Eric said, glancing over at the other two men. It had been two hours since they had arrived at the farmhouse, and the only things that had breached the perimeter were a pair of starving coyotes, who slunk around the edge of the forest before disappearing into the trees. Gajeel shook his head, and Silver sighed. "I'm wondering, Eric." Silver said, looking over at the tall young man. "What's going on inside that birdbrain of yours?" Eric looked out at the horizon, where the first gray light of dawn was beginning to show. "Several things. The soldiers that you and the others ran into, Gajeel, were apparently under orders to capture and not kill you. What kind of sense does that make?" "They said they wanted to make an example out of us." Gajeel responded, and Eric nodded. "But then, why torture? Why not just call an assembly and kill you publicly first chance they got?" Gajeel place a hand on his chin, but it was Silver who answered. "Geer said that he wanted something out of you guys. Some kind of information, a location or something." Eric nodded, raising his pistol as the trees to the east shuddered, only to reveal a wildcat, who eyed the trio of men warily before slinking back into the undergrowth. "So, the lord of the land is trying to find something, and he needs Anomalies to do it." Eric said, turning back to the others. "But what is he after?"

The blonde boy on the couch blinked, his vision bleary as he tried to sit up, only to groan in pain as his ribs protested the movement. Instead, he opted to reach out blindly for his friend, hell, his brother, but beside him he felt only empty air. He instantly jolted awake, his ribs protesting again as he sat bolt upright, looking around desperately for his companion. Then the memories hit him. The dskidnapping, the torture, and his escape. He placed his head in his hands, a sob bursting through that made his ribs ache horribly. He barely noticed when a comforting arm was placed on his shoulders. He just let his emotions pour forth, mourning the brother that he had lost.

Eventually, the boy's sobs quieted, and he took notice of the several bandages across his chest, as well as the arm placed over his shoulder by the blue-haired woman next to him. "Would you like something to eat?" The woman asked, her blue eyes warm and comforting. The boy sat there for a second, then shook his head, curling his knees into his chest and hugging them tightly. Shaking her head, the woman made her way into the kitchen, bustling around for a few minutes before returning to the couch with a sandwich and a glass of water. "You need to eat if you want to keep your strength up." She raised a finger as the boy made to protest. "Ah. I'm not saying that you have to eat it now, but you do need to eat if you want to keep your strength up and heal." Standing up, she walked out of the door, leaving the boy alone. "It's there if you want it. I'll be back shortly." The blonde heard her say from outside. He sat there in the same position for a few minutes, before extending his arm and gripping the glass of water, bringing it to his lips and gulping it down, replacing it on the table when it was empty. He made to pick up the sandwich, only to hesitate halfway there as he heard steps coming up the basement stairs. The door to the basement opened, and out walked three more people, two men and a woman with snow-white hair. The two men were stuck deep in whispered conversation, gesticulating to each other with their hands and scowling. The woman, on the other hand, noticed that the blonde was awake, and smiled, making her way over to him.

"Hi," The woman greeted him, taking a seat on the edge of the (admittedly lumpy) sofa and smiling at him. The boy could swear that he saw fangs where her canines should be, and instead of freaking him out, like a normal human, this tiny revelation served a small bit of comfort. "How are you feeling?" The woman asked, and the boy's eyes turned downwards towards his knees. "I'm…" He trails off, staring at nothing, his eyes seeing and yet not processing. He jerks as he feels a hand on his knee. "I'm so sorry." The woman says, her black eyes warm and comforting somehow. "Let's start over. I'm Mira, Mirajane Strauss. What about you?" The blonde boy looks down, taking a few moments to find his voice, to trust again.

"My name is Sting Eucliffe."

The first rays of sunlight were cresting over the treetops by the time the trio on the roof finished their speculation. Standing, they leapt from the roof, Eric taking the opportunity to stretch his flight muscles after a long period of inactivity. Gajeel and Silver made to make their way inside, only to be met by Gray, Juvia next to him. "Silver," The black haired young man growled, glaring at the older man, "may we talk?" Silver smiled sadly, pointing with his head towards the expanse of grass behind him. "Sure. Let's go for a walk." Together, father and son set off, hoping to settle any differences left between them.

* * *

 **So there you have it, Chapter 11 of Spark! Like I said, this was meant to be a transitional chapter, so, again, apologies if it feels a little weak.**

 **Second order of business: You guys really seemed to enjoy my newest story, Drown The Pain, Down the Bottle, so I was wondering if that was something that you guys would like to see me post more of, one-shots like that, or should I focus on my current stories? Let me know!**

 **As always, may the sun be at your back and the wind fill your wings!**

 **~StormDragonSlayer**


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